Second Chances
by Christine Geyer
Summary: These are my own imaginations for how Sharon and Andy have been spending their time outside of the hour we see each week, beginning with Nicole's wedding. My goal is to stay as realistic to the show as possible. I go back and forth on how I feel about them getting together, but I lean towards the positive, so the story primarily moves in that direction.
1. Chapter 1

Captain Sharon Raydor watched from across the murder room as Lieutenant Andy Flynn argued with someone on the phone, and then hung up angrily. She raised her eyebrows to Lieutenant Louie Provenza, standing next to her. "His daughter is getting married tomorrow," explained Provenza, "and he's being an ass about it."

Raydor had been watching Flynn struggle to right the wrongs he had done to his family recently. She couldn't help but think of her own broken family and admire his courage to do what her own husband hadn't been able to. She knew it wasn't easy on any of them. Eager to distract him and bring his mind back to the job, she called to him. "Andy, will you join me with the victim's parents please?" His words may have made him sound like an ass, but the heartbroken look on his face as he turned around painted the real picture.

After yet another emotional and painful notification, Raydor wondered once again if this would ever get easier. Times like these made her miss her work in FID. Flynn saw the weary look in Raydor's eyes. He knew his team was the best, but he remember all too well how they didn't always make the lives of their commanding officers the easiest. "Let's call it a day and grab a bite at O'Malley's. Unis are out looking for Torres's cousin and there's not much more we can do until the morning," he offered. Raydor accepted gratefully. Rusty was eating with Kris's family and she wasn't really interested in be left alone with her thoughts. She was a bit surprised someone from her team besides Amy was being so thoughtful, but she was happy for the opportunity to bond. It could only make the team stronger.

They met at the bar and grabbed a table. They smiled at their waiter, one they'd had many times before, and placed their orders. As if reading her mind, Flynn spoke first. "Look, Captain, I think you knew heading Major Crimes was not going to be an easy gig. It's gotta be nice leaving the rat patrol behind, but notifying families of homicide victims? What we do, it's an important and necessary job, but it's sure as hell not an easy one. New division, new challenges." Flynn smiled at Raydor supportively. Raydor returned the smile. Flynn's show of support gave her hope that the rest of the division could come around too. It had been a challenging start, but a very gratifying job.

Their waiter delivered their food, and they started to eat. The silence was getting a bit uncomfortable. Wanting to reciprocate the support, but not wanting to overstep her bounds, Raydor considered asking him about the conversation she overheard in the murder room earlier. Her curiosity got the better of her, so she asked between bites, "Provenza tells me your daughter is getting married tomorrow? That sounds exciting!" She watched him to see if she made the right move.

Flynn lowered his fork and looked at her, eyebrows raised, trying to decide how much he wanted to share with his boss about his personal life. "Yeah, she is." He paused for a moment and decided maybe an objective opinion is what he needed. "Nicole invited me, but the rest of my family doesn't really want me there. When I became an alcoholic, I ruined their lives as well as my own. I've been trying to fix things for awhile. I don't want the only place I fit in to be the LAPD. The fact that my daughter is including me in her wedding is nothing short of a miracle. I want to see my daughter get married, but I kind of lost my cool when I found out she wanted both me and her stepfather to walk her down the aisle." Flynn sighed and looked up at Raydor. Seeing a sympathetic listener in front of him, he decided to keep going. "I get why she asked him, but in the moment she told me, all I saw was a reminder of my failings as a father, and my regret that another man had to step in to do the job I should have been man enough to do myself." Flynn felt a bit relieved to get it all off his chest. "Even though Nicole is opening up to me, my son is having a hard time letting me back in. And my ex-wife? Hoo-boy. I think that's a lost cause, not that I care so much about that one." He picked his fork back up and to a bite of his food, signaling he was done. He looked at her, inviting her to share her thoughts.

"I understand," Raydor started. She wanted to proceed carefully, so he didn't feel like yet another person was against him. She knew all too well how that feels. "That is a difficult situation. Just remember, this is Nicole's wedding day. Most likely, it'll be the only one she'll ever have. She asked you to be a part of it, and from what you've implied, that's a pretty special thing. Let your decision be about her, not your ex-wife and not your son, but her. Make a decision that will help your relationship, not cause it irreparable damage."

"Yeah," Flynn seemed to be considering her words, but she didn't think he seemed convinced.

Raydor decided to draw from her own experience. She saw parallels in her family and his. "When my daughter gets married, I imagine she'll ask Jack to be a part of it. She never had another father figure to look up to. That thought doesn't excite me in the least. He has not earned it. But if she wants him there, I'd be even madder if he disappointed her again and didn't come. Even if your ex-wife or your son aren't ready to forgive your past, at least let them respect the effort your making now, so you don't lose the ground you've gained." Flynn thought she was making a lot of sense. The waiter arrived with their check. Flynn grabbed it and said, "My treat." Raydor thanked him. "No," he said, "thank you for the perspective."

The next morning brought the return of those new "challenges" her and Flynn were discussing the night before. They hadn't found Torres's cousin, the press was eager to fill the story details to suit their purposes, and she still hadn't found the motive for the break-in. And as if there wasn't enough already on her plate, Kris's mother came into discuss Rusty's dinner, adding more worries to her overburdened shoulders. And then that discussion came to an abrupt end when Torres's video was discovered on his computer, telling his sad story. She was feeling quite drained, but she was grateful, at the very least, to finally have a motive.

Flynn was yet again impressed by their captain as she temporarily set all else aside and poured everything into getting Torres's abuser charged and attempting to give Torres's parents a bit of peace. He had a great deal of respect for this woman, and was carefully considering her advice from dinner the previous night. Thinking of Torres's incredibly sad story made him realize how lucky he was that he had a second chance with his daughter. Right then and there he decided he would suck it up and go. He couldn't miss his only daughter's wedding and the chance to walk her down the aisle, even if he had to share that honor with another man. He couldn't undo everything he'd worked so hard to fix.

Flynn rose up from his desk and knocked on Raydor's door. "Hey Captain, sorry to bother you." Raydor closed her computer's lid and gave Flynn her attention. He continued, "I was just wondering…my daughter's wedding," he checks his watch, "well, it's in three hours, actually and, uh—"

"You've decided to go," stated Raydor, smiling to herself.

"Yeah." Flynn still seemed unsettled. "Even though most of the people there hate me. Yeah, I, uh, I think…I think it's the right decision." Wanting to let him know he know he was doing the right thing, she jumped in with an offer.

"Could you use a buffer?" she asks. Flynn looked at her curiously. She continued "Lt. Provenza has offered to take Rusty out for burgers, and, um, I like weddings." She was starting to regret her offer a bit, wondering if it was appropriate, but her desire to be supportive kept her going.

Flynn was surprised. "Really? You sure? Oh, well, how would I introduce you?" The thought of a buffer sounded fantastic, but taking his boss as his date to his daughter's wedding seemed a daunting thought.

Flynn's surprise didn't help her confidence but she kept going. "How about as your friend, Sharon?" she offered. Relieved, Flynn said, "So it's not like a date or anything…"

"Of course not, Lieutenant," Raydor hastily replied, "I'm a married woman." She laughed nervously, and Flynn seemed more at ease.

"Oh, well, thank you, Captain!" but quickly corrected himself, "I mean, Sharon." He couldn't believe what a kind offer she had made and was grateful there'd be someone else there at the wedding on his side. "I owe you one." Raydor felt a bit better as he eased up and smiled at him.

'This should be interesting,' they both thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Sharon was relieved to get out of the office and head home to get ready for the wedding. She knew she was in for an intense night, but was thankful for a distraction from the case and Kris's mom. She really did like weddings. That wasn't a lie. As she stood in front of her closet, trying to find something appropriate for a captain attending a wedding with her lieutenant, the reality of what was happening hit her.

She hopped in and out of the shower quickly, checked the clock and began hurriedly putting on her make-up. Andy would be picking her up in about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, Andy was a bundle of nerves. He called his daughter to assure her he would be there, and she sounded relieved. As he hung up the phone, he was grateful the Captain had talked him into going. He put on a tuxedo he had rented last minute from a shop down the street from the precinct. He took one last look in the mirror before heading out to his car to pick up his "buffer".

Andy knocked on the door, and with one last look in the mirror, Sharon hurriedly opened the door. She stopped in her tracks. "Lieutenant! Wow!" He raised his eyebrow at her inquisitively. "You look really nice!"

"Thanks, Ca—" he paused and smiled, "Sharon. It's not every day your daughter gets married." Sharon smiled at him, proud of the decision he was making. "You're not looking so bad yourself!" Sharon blushed and gestured out the door. Andy caught a whiff of her perfume and smiled.

The car ride to the church was filled with pleasant small talk about their kids and their lives. Sharon learned that Nicole met her fiancé at the accounting firm she worked at. They had been together for two years when he proposed, and he had never seen his baby girl happier. Andy learned that Sharon's daughter had left for Julliard after graduating, and then joined the American Ballet Theatre. He could see her pride and admired how she'd been able to raise such successful kids, even with an absent husband.

They arrived and Andy quickly got out of the car to open the door for Sharon. They stepped inside. Sharon nudged him and gestured to the right. Andy looked and saw the bride's room. His daughter was getting ready for the ceremony and she looked absolutely stunning. Sharon watched as his nervous expression turned to admiration. Sharon nodded her permission for Andy to join her, and Sharon found a seat in the church.

Sharon made herself comfortable, listened to the pre-ceremony music and enjoyed the general splendor of the event. The music changed as the ushers began escorting the guests of honor down the aisle. A young man walked a woman, Andy's son and ex-wife she guessed, down the aisle. They had talked a lot about their children, but they had both avoided discussing their exes in their conversation. When she sat down, she turned momentarily and noticed Sharon sitting a few rows behind her. The woman didn't recognize her and seemed a bit bothered by a stranger's presence at her daughter's wedding. Sharon just smiled and turned to watch as the wedding party took their turn down the aisle. Finally the music changed and everyone stood. Sharon looked to the back of the church and saw Andrew Flynn, proud father, beaming from the back with a beautiful young woman on his arm. Another man followed closely behind on her other side. Andy accompanied her all the way down the aisle and met the priest at the end.

"Who gives this woman away?" the priest asked. Andy responded, "Her mother, stepfather, and I do." He embraced his daughter, gave her a kiss on the cheek and moved to join Sharon in the pew as Nicole's stepfather did the same. Sharon squeezed Andy's hand as he sat. He was aware of her touch, but at that moment, he only had eyes for Nicole.

At the end of the ceremony, Andy joined his family in a reception line. Sharon followed the crowd through the line. When she reached Nicole and her husband, Andy turned around and made the introduction. "Nicole, Steve, this is my friend Sharon."

"It's such a pleasure to meet you. Nicole, I've heard so much about you. Congratulations to both of you!" Sharon smiled and shook both of their hands.

"Hi, Sharon, it's our pleasure to meet you too. Thank you for coming!" Nicole replied. As Sharon continued down the line, Nicole smiled nodded approvingly at her dad. He was confused by her reaction, but didn't have time to question it as the guests continued through the line.

Andy and Sharon headed to the reception and found two seats at a table with two of Andy's brothers, Patrick and Brian. Andy made introductions around the table and Sharon smiled politely and listened attentively as they ate dinner, shared inside jokes and razzed each other about anything and everything. She was happy that it seemed Andy did have some family at the wedding that didn't mind him being there. She laughed politely as Andy's sister-in-law swatted at his brother for a rather crude joke made about a former girlfriend, when she noticed Andy's son making his way over to their table.

"Danny, boy! Get over here!" Patrick hollered at him. Daniel smiled at his uncle, but seemed a bit less warm when greeting his dad.

"Hey, Kid, thanks for coming over. I'd like you to meet Sharon. Sharon, this is my son, Daniel." Sharon smiled and shook his hand.

Brian pulled out an empty chair between him and Sharon. "Sit, stay for awhile!" Daniel didn't look like he had really wanted to stay. He was just intending to say a quick hello out of obligation. However, he sat and chatted with his aunts and uncles about what he was doing in college and if he had any girlfriends these days. He seemed to ease up a bit around them. The D.J. announced that it was time for the father/daughter dance. Andy turned to Sharon and said, "I'll be back. I'll grab us some more drinks on the way back." Sharon smiled at him as he walked up to dance with his little girl. She watched them sway and talk, smiling the whole time. Sharon even saw him tear up a bit as Nicole held onto her dad and moved to the music. She pictured Jack and Emily up there and hoped Emily would get to have that moment with her dad someday. Soon it was Nicole's stepfather's turn to dance with the bride. Andy made his way towards the bar and Sharon turned to listen to Daniel talk to his aunt about a computer class he was taking.

"My son started up an internet security company with some of his classmates from college a few years in Palo Alto," Sharon chimed in. "I don't understand much of what comes out of his mouth when he talks about it, but it sounds like a great field to get into. Are you liking your classes?" Daniel lit up and began going on in the same way Ricky used to about technology, and she smiled as she saw him discussing what he was passionate about. Daniel began asking about her kids and her job, not realizing her connection to his father.

"Well, I spend most of my career working in Internal Affairs at the LAPD, but after threatening to retire, I was offered command of the Major Crimes Division where you dad now works.

"Wow, you worked in IA? Dad never had kind things to say about any of you," Daniel started, but then realized his comment might be construed as rude. Sharon laughed. That remark reminded her of Rusty. "I guess it really says something that he's actually friends with you," he added.

"Ah, yes," Sharon smiled, taking no offense. "Well, your father does have quite the file, as I'm sure you're aware. Our acquaintance started a bit rocky. But it has improved. Plus it doesn't hurt that I'm out of there and he's finally seen that I actually am a human being," she joked. Brian laughed, and Daniel smiled at her. He appreciated hearing that his dad was making an effort to change at work too.

Sharon noticed Andy had been gone awhile. She looked around and didn't see him. She excused herself and decided to locate the restroom. She exited the hall and as she turned the corner down the hall, she overheard Lisa and Andy having a quiet, yet heated discussion. She stopped where she was. "So you weren't even sure yesterday if you were coming to your daughter's wedding, and then you not only show up, but with a date? What is going on, Andy? Who is this woman? This hardly seems the appropriate time to introduce us to your new girlfriend."

"What does it matter who she is? Look, I didn't bring her to start a fight. You know I'm trying to make things right with Nicole and Daniel. Sharon's here for support. No one else seems offended by her presence. What exactly is your problem, here?" Sharon could hear that Andy was struggling to keep his cool. As much as she didn't want to intrude, she wanted to keep him from losing his temper and spoiling what was otherwise turning out to be a successful evening.

She rounded the corner and feigned surprise as she saw Andy and Lisa. "Oh, excuse me," she smiled, "I'm just looking for the ladies' room. Can either of you point me in the right direction?"

Andy was momentarily relieved for the interruption, but his blood began to boil a bit again when Lisa shot a look at Andy, put a fake smile and stated, "Sharon. I've been hearing all about you." Sharon looked quizzically at Andy and he shrugged in response.

"You must be Nicole's mother," Sharon replied, holding out her hand.

"Lisa."

"Lisa, it's nice to meet you. It was a beautiful wedding and the reception is just lovely," Sharon continued, not sure what else to say.

"Thank you. The restrooms are that way." Lisa replied. Sharon couldn't read her face.

"Great," Sharon replied. She looked at Andy and mouthed the word "breathe". She hesitated another moment, and said, "If you'll excuse me…" Sharon gestured to towards the restroom, and Lisa nodded. Sharon hoped that bought Andy enough time to collect himself.

On her way into the restroom, Sharon saw Nicole and her team of bridesmaids helping her out, giggling about how using the bathroom had somehow become a team sport. Sharon smiled to herself when Nicole noticed she had walked in.

"Hi! Oh, Sharon! I'm so glad I've finally bumped into you. Dad told me during our dance about your hand in getting him here today, and I can't thank you enough. I know our family must seem a little messy."

"Oh, messy families are kind of my area of expertise! But, I know how my daughter would feel if her father missed her wedding. I know he very much wanted to be here, I was happy to nudge him the right direction," Sharon smiled.

Nicole surprised Sharon by giving her a very friendly hug. "Thank you! It means everything to have him here." Sharon returned the hug and watched as Nicole and her team continued out the door. Nicole paused and called back to her, "I hope I'll get the chance to talk to you again tonight, Sharon. Enjoy the party!"

Sharon grinned. A few minutes later, Sharon made her way back to the table and was happy to see Andy was sitting, and that Lisa was across the room. "Everything going alright, Andy?" she inquired.

"I think so. That conversation with my ex you walked in on wasn't the most comfortable, but she had heard Nicole and Daniel talking about you, and I don't know what she thought. Luckily your interruption broke the tension, and I was able to get away." Andy sighed, "Otherwise, it has been a great night. No regrets. I hope my kids keep giving me the chance to make things better. I sure don't deserve it, but I'm grateful I've gotten it."

Andy watched the dance floor as Nicole danced a fast number with her new stepsons. Sharon patted his arm. "Why don't we get out there and join them?"

"Really? You don't have to do that," Andy seemed unsure.

"It's a wedding. C'mon." Andy shrugged and followed Sharon to the floor. Andy began to really enjoy himself, dancing with Sharon and Nicole and the kids. It was fun to watch Sharon let loose a little and he was just starting to do the same when the music changed to a slow number.

Andy hesitated, uncomfortable with the idea of a slow dance with his boss, but he was having too great a night, thanks to her, and he made his second bold move of the day. He held out his hand to Sharon. Andy could tell she was a little unsure too, but she took his hand and they danced. She couldn't help but notice how good he smelled and how well he wore that tuxedo, but she shook her head as she reminded herself who she was dancing with.

Andy looked at her and smiled, "What?" he asked.

"Nothing, just…I had a fun night."

"Thanks for being here Sharon. You're a good buffer." Andy smiled unconsciously pulled her in a little closer as they finished the dance.

As Andy drove Sharon home that night, they relived the night. Andy remarked again about how beautiful his daughter was, how great his new son-in-law seemed, and how Daniel had approached him before they left and told him he'd call him later about meeting him for dinner some night. Sharon was so happy for him. Andy parked in her garage and insisted on walking her up to her condo. Sharon unlocked her door and turned around to say good night. Andy eyed the officer standing in the hallway. Rusty had returned. Not wanting the officer to make any assumptions (rumors can spread fast at the LAPD), he simply looked her in the eye and quietly said, "Thank you. For everything."

"It was my pleasure, Andy. Good night."

"Good night, Sharon."


	3. Chapter 3

Nicole and Steve got back from their honeymoon in London about two weeks after the wedding. After they had the opportunity to unpack and get settled into their new place with their kids, they invited the family over to show off their pictures and deliver their souvenirs.

Andy hung up the phone with Nicole as Sharon passed his desk on the way to her office. Andy was thrilled to be included on the invitation. Sharon noticed his good mood, and paused to inquire about its source.

"Nicole just invited me over tomorrow to see their house and their honeymoon pictures with the rest of the family!" Andy said excitedly.

"That's wonderful, Andy! Have a great time!" She patted him on the shoulder and smiled at him before she continued to her office. Andy had spent a lot of time his life being pissed off at the world. 'It's so nice to see him happy,' she thought. Andy grinned back at her. This was going to be another challenging day with his family, but after his successful wedding attendance, he was ready to try again.

Nicole greeted her father with a big hug and gave him a tour of her and her husband's new place. He was the first to arrive, so she grabbed him a drink and set him up in the living room while they waited for her mom, stepfather, and brother to arrive.

"I hope it's not awkward having everyone here, Dad. I am so happy you decided to be a part of the wedding, and I would love to keep having you be a part of our lives," she said after she had a seat.

"I screwed up what should have been some of our best years together, Nicole. I love you, and I am so glad you're giving me a second chance. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you," Andy replied, and kissed her on the forehead.

Nicole smiled and changed to a lighter subject. "So, Dad, tell me more about this lovely woman, Sharon, you brought to my wedding. Is it serious?"

Andy could immediately tell Nicole had gotten the wrong impression, but before he could set her straight, they heard a knock on the door. Nicole said, "Hold that thought!" and popped out of her seat to let her mom and stepfather in the door. Andy took a deep breath, tried to block the impulse to grab a drink that was a bit stronger than the club soda in his hands, and tried his best to remain civil.

"Andy," Lisa nodded curtly in his direction as she walked in the room. She seemed annoyed that she had to share this moment with her ex-husband.

"Lisa, Jim," Andy nodded back. Andy knew how much he had hurt Lisa when they had been married. Their marriage had problems to start with, but he realized he had caused irreparable damage by turning to the bottle. She may not be his favorite person, but she had every right to be angry. Her forgiveness was not going to be as easily won.

"No Sharon today?" Lisa inquired, sarcastically as she found her seat. Andy felt his temper flare at her sarcasm and a flashback to their argument at the wedding, but he took a deeper breath and remained patient for the sake of his daughter.

"No, she's not coming," he replied. He wondered why everyone kept asking about her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think to tell you to invite her too, but she's welcome to come with you in the future!" Nicole smiled sympathetically at Andy.

"Thanks, Nicole, that's a kind offer," he said. Lisa rolled her eyes just as Daniel arrived. After he was greeted and seated, Lisa turned to Nicole and Steve. "So," she said, putting a smile, "how about those honeymoon pictures!" Andy was relieved for the distraction.

Nicole and Steve began their slideshow. While their boys played cards at the table, the rest of the family oohed and aahed at the pictures. Lisa and Andy were able to avoid talking to each other for the next half hour.

After the show, Andy had to excuse himself to the back room to take a phone call from Provenza. Turns out they had caught a case and he had to get to a crime scene. As he made his way back to the living room, he bumped into Lisa, who was cleaning up some drinking glasses.

"So sad your girlfriend couldn't join us today," Lisa told him with a sarcastic smile, now that they were alone. "Was that her on the phone?"

Andy sighed, "Lisa, let's not do this right now. It's not the time or place."

Lisa ignored him and continued, "Our children simply could not stop talking about her after the ceremony. Nicole thought she was stunning. Aidan and Hunter thought she was a hilarious dancer. Even Daniel went on and on about how this woman whose son had a career in computers and how he could believe his dad was dating someone from internal affairs, the department that constantly was on your back by the time you left us. She must be amazing in the sack to overlook that past. Speaking of which, is it even allowed for you to screw your commanding officer?"

Andy had lost his temper by those last accusations. "What is wrong with you? She was nothing but polite to everyone at the wedding. I know you're angry with me, but this isn't the way to go about it." Andy was still fuming. In the heat of the moment, he made a decision that he would later regret. "Sharon is going to be around for awhile. I really care about her. You're going to have to find a way to deal with it. " Andy saw his words had the desired effect on his ex-wife. He left her standing there, mouth agape, and returned to the living room to explain the phone call and say his good-byes to his children.

As he entered his car to drive to the crime scene, he started thinking of the consequences of his hot-headedness. What if Lisa tells Nicole and Daniel what he said? He didn't mind lying to Lisa, but he didn't want to lie to his children. If they found out, it could undo everything he had done to rebuild his relationship with them. He put his car into park when he arrived and pushed his anxiety to the back of his brain so he could focus on his job.

Sharon saw the team arrive together in the murder room after leaving the crime scene. She left her office so that they could brief her on the case and she could hand out assignments. She stopped by Andy's desk as he was setting his stuff down. Sharon looked at him sympathetically. "Sorry you had to cut your day with your family short. How did it go?"

"It was great," he lied. He was hit by another pang of guilt. He had included her in his lie. Not only could his children get hurt, but Sharon could get hurt too, and she had been so supportive through everything.

"So glad to hear that!" she exclaimed. She continued her trip to the murder board and Andy followed close behind. "Alright team, catch me up!"


	4. Chapter 4

Andy decided that an AA meeting would be helpful after he wrapped up work that day. Luckily his usual group was meeting that night. It always felt better being surrounded by familiar faces.

Andy explained to the others how he was having trouble focusing on his work with his guilt about the lie. He wanted to stay on top of that temptation he had to drink while at his daughter's house and his loss of control when his ex-wife started in on him about Sharon again.

His fellow meeting members had urged him to own up. This was probably not a lie that would remain undercover for long, and they helped him realize that owning up to his mistake now, rather than later would be best. He decided he would sleep on it and call Nicole in the morning.

Andy met up with his sponsor, Mark, after the group time was over. "Hey, Andy, look. I don't want to push something on you, but I was wondering…have you ever gone to a counselor before?" Mark asked.

"Like a shrink? Sometimes we have to go when we've been involved in a shooting or an accident. Why?" Andy replied. He was wondering where Mark was going with this.

"Have you ever gone on your own, though, voluntarily?" Mark continued. "My wife talked me into going a few months ago. Even though I've been sober for almost 20 years, issues with my family still come up, and sometimes I still fight depression and anxiety. It's only been a few months, but my psychiatrist has really helped me begin to learn how to deal with my anger and my depression, and most importantly, she's given me great help in keeping my relationship with my wife and daughter strong. I'm not going to pressure you, or even follow up with you about it. It's totally your call. Just something to think about."

"Thanks, man. I don't know if that's really for me, but I promise I'll give it some thought. Until next time?" Andy stuck out his hand and Mark shook it. "Later," Mark said.

'A shrink?' Andy thought. He wasn't crazy. He didn't think he was suffering from some kind of mental disease, but he also didn't like how easily he lost his temper either, especially with Lisa. He was more interested in having a good relationship with Daniel and Nicole than his ex-wife. That marriage had problems even before he started drinking. But, if he was going to be a part of their lives, he was going to have to learn how to be in the same room with her, even without a "buffer" present.

He turned on his phone as he left, and saw Nicole had left him a voicemail. He held the phone to his ear and began to listen:

Hi, Dad, it's Nicole. It was great to see you today! Sorry you had to leave for work. Listen, I didn't get the chance to let you know before you left, but Hunter and Aidan have a dance recital in three weeks. It's Friday night at 7:30, and Steve and I were wondering if you'd like to come. Mom and Jim will be there, and we'd love to have you, too! We're trying to talk Dan into it too, but he's not too thrilled about the idea of a dance recital. And, don't forget to bring Sharon! I don't know if she likes dance recitals or not, but I'd love the chance to get to know her better! The kids will be adorable, I promise. Let me know. Love you, Dad. Bye.

It was getting late and he didn't know if she'd still be awake, so he sent her a text back:

Hi, Sweetie. I will be there. I'll check with Sharon. I'm not sure if she's available, but she's been to her fair share of recitals. Her daughter is a professional dancer in NY. Love you too. See you soon.

Andy drove himself home and saw a text back from Nicole.

That's awesome! I'd love to hear her stories, once dance mom to another. We'll get her a ticket. Tell her she'd better come!

Andy felt a pang of guilt again. He hadn't outright lied to Nicole about Sharon, but he felt certain now that Nicole thought they were together. He hoped she and Lisa hadn't talked about it after he left. And now, he had to try and figure out what to do about her insistence on him bringing Sharon. He'd love for her to be there. His kids loved her, and she made the whole wedding experience a lot easier. But, how was he going to invite her to this thing without raising her suspicion? How the hell was he to going to keep his family believing they were together without them saying anything and upsetting her and consequently upsetting them too when they found out about his deception? The worrying kept him tossing and turning half the night. He woke up the next morning exhausted and frustrated. 'Maybe a shrink wouldn't be such a bad idea after all,' he thought.

A week later, things were back to business as usual. He managed to push his dilemma with the dance recital out of his mind for awhile. He still had a couple of weeks before he really needed to deal with it. They had a string of pretty interesting cases to keep his mind occupied.

One of the harder cases they had faced was a man who was mentally ill. He had faced a hard rejection, and was going around murdering people and living in their houses. It seems like there were always just a few steps behind, but they were able to finally catch up. Andy watched and admired Sharon in action the whole case. She really was an amazing leader, strong minded and sharp. She was the one who put the pieces together to locate him. When confronting him, she was the very definition of grace under fire. They were able to prevent him from killing a fourth person, but unfortunately weren't able to prevent him from taking his own life in the end.

Andy was in her office the next morning wrapping up the case. She was still visibly shaken by the outcome. All he wanted to do was make it easier on her. Why couldn't she see that it was because of her that he didn't keep killing?

"I made him think he was on television. I gave him something he wanted without getting something in return," she said. She was still trying to maintain her calm façade, but her voice was about to break.

Andy leaned over on her desk, trying to pull her attention away from the video she kept playing over and over again. "But on the plus side, none of us got hurt, and you spared the victims' families from a long and nasty trial," he tried to reassure her.

There was a knock on her door. At that moment, she finally looked away from the computer screen and into Andy's eyes. The concern she saw reflected back at her made her breath catch in her throat.

"Listen, Sharon, for whatever it's worth, you did great," he told her, looking her right in the eye.

For a moment, she felt some relief from the guilt that was eating away at her. She felt something else in that moment that she couldn't quite define yet, but it felt good and kind of scary. She offered him a small smile to show her gratitude. Andy walked over to the door to see who had knocked.

"Yes, come in," she said when she saw Chief Taylor at the door. He informed her that she needed to come to her office. Any relief Andy had given her vanished and was replaced with a whole new set of worries. She looked to him for more of the reassurance he had just offered her, but he seemed just as confused as her.

Andy kept working at his desk throughout the meeting, worried about what was going on and hoping she was holding up okay. Provenza and Buzz walked into the murder room, and Andy asked them what they knew.

"Kris told Rios that Rusty has been hiding more threatening letters from all of us in order to keep us from sending him to witness protection," Provenza said, shaking his head.

"Whoa," was all Andy could say. He was shocked. "What's going to happen?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out now. The captain has asked me to stick around to discuss the options once she is through meeting with Rios and Taylor."

Andy dug around for some more paperwork to use as an excuse to stay in the murder room a little later than he normally would have, just in case Sharon needed some support when she came out.

When Rusty entered the murder room, pissed that officers had dragged him out his first day of school, he saw the pain in Provenza and Buzz's faces and couldn't help but feel it too. Sharon might be his legal guardian, but they had all grown to care about him.

Andy realized this was big and that Sharon and Rusty would need time to themselves, so he decided to pack up his things and head out quietly. He couldn't get his mind off his worry, so he figured this might be a good time to call that psychiatrist Mark had recommended to him.


	5. Chapter 5

"So, Andy, what brings you here today?" asked Michael Vorenburg.

"I got your name from a buddy of mine at AA. I've been having issues with my family that I'm trying to fix, and sometimes the things I see at my job just really get to me, and I have a hard time letting go. I've got to be honest, I never saw myself seeing a shrink outside of work, but I am really trying to make amends. I made a decision lately that makes me think I may need some professional advice," Andy explained.

"Well, I'm glad you decided to give it a try. I hope I can be of some help to you. First of all, instead of "shrink" let's say counselor. I'm not a doctor. I won't be prescribing medicine or anything. I'm just here to give you some professional guidance if you'd like it. I'd like to get to know a little about you. Your family seems important to you. Tell me about them. What are you trying to fix?" asked Vorenburg.

"Okay, well, I have an ex-wife and two children, both adults. I made a lot of mistakes when I wasn't sober, but the worst of them have to do with my family. I remember having no patience with my young children or my wife, and eventually my anger turned into absenteeism. I thought going to the bar with my cop buddies was a better way to spend my time than attending my son's soccer games and listening to daughter's choir concerts. My ex and I were arguing a lot about the dangers of my job after we had kids, and instead of having conversations, I would walk out and have a drink with my partner and complain about how women just don't understand.

"We got divorced when my son was 8 and my daughter was 13. She won custody, and at that point I pretty much gave up on being a part of my family, because I couldn't get over my hostility towards Lisa. I missed my daughter's learning how to drive, prom, graduation, and moving her to college. I was also starting to cause trouble outside of my family and my IA file with the LAPD was growing thicker by the month. I was finally given the choice of getting sober or losing my career. I'm thankful to say that I made the decision 12 years ago to get sober and I haven't had a drink since. I wish I had been able to make that decision before I had lost my family, though.

"Trying to make things right with my family has been hard. They are justifiably angry that I abandoned them. I'm angry too. I missed a lot of milestones in Daniel and Nicole's lives that I should have been there for. I can never get those back, but I've decided to not miss any more. My daughter is an angel and has been very open to welcoming me back into her life. She even asked me to walk her down the aisle with her stepfather last month when she got married. It's been harder for Lisa and Daniel. I can't blame them, but I want to keep trying and show them that I am a changed man, that I'm sorry, and that I still want to be a part of Daniel and Nicole's life," Andy broke there and sighed.

"First of all, let me commend you on your sobriety. I think we both know what a huge deal it is, and what a long way that's going to go in showing your family your contrition. I'm so glad your daughter has been open to getting to know you again and that you were able to share that important day with her and the rest of the family. You said it's been harder for Daniel and Lisa. What does your relationship currently look like with your son and ex-wife?" asked Vorenburg.

"Well, neither of them really wants to have anything to do with me. At the wedding, Daniel came and greeted me once, but he seemed to do it more out of obligation. After I left the table for the father/daughter dance, I saw him having quite a conversation with Sharon, my captain who came with me, though. He seemed to really like her. My ex-wife mostly seems to want to start arguments with me. That's when I tend to lose my temper, just like the old days. At the wedding, Sharon was able to be a buffer and break the tension when needed, but when I was at my daughter's house last week without her, I ended up lying to Lisa just to get back at her for picking a fight. That's when I started realizing I needed help. If this lie gets back to my kids or Sharon, I'm going to make a whole lot of people I care about angry and undo everything I've been working so hard to fix," explained Andy.

"What exactly was the lie?" inquired Vorenburg.

"Sharon was instrumental in talking me into going to the wedding. She also offered to go with me for moral support and to help with my son and ex-wife. Lisa pulled me aside at the wedding and seemed offended that I brought my new "girlfriend" to the wedding. Now that I think about, I never corrected her that Sharon and I aren't together. I started realizing later that my whole family thinks we're dating. Lisa picked a fight about it later at my daughter's house. When she asked if I was allowed to "screw" my commanding officer, and I lost it. I may have strongly implied that Sharon and I were together and very serious just to make her stop talking. I regretted it immediately, but I don't know how to take it back without hurting Sharon or my kids. All of them have been through enough. Sharon's going through a very tough situation with her own foster son. I can't add to that burden.

"Now, Nicole has invited me to her stepkids' dance recital and I really want to go to show my support. She is also strongly insisting I bring Sharon so she can get to know her better. Sharon and I are definitely not as close as everyone thinks we are. If I bring her, she will find out I lied. I don't think she would expose me to my kids, but she would be disappointed in me. I'm sure that would make things nice and awkward at work too. I have no idea what to do."

"I appreciate you sharing that with me. Now my job here is not to tell you what to do, but to help you think of all the alternatives and teach you how to think about the consequences of the decisions you make. I have something I'd like you for our next session. I want you to come up with three different ways you could handle this situation. I think you realize leaving it alone is really not a good option. I'd also like you to imagine the consequences of each decision. We'll talk about it next time and see if we can come up with a solution that you can live with," Vorenburg suggested.

Andy thanked him, shook his hand, and walked out of his office. He wasn't sure that he had any more answers than when he had started, but he liked the idea of having someone to help him think things through before making a decision. It certainly helped talking to Sharon about the wedding. 'Too bad Sharon can't help me this time,' he thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Andy had spent all night working on his "homework" from Vorenburg. He was starting to wonder if the truth was really the best way to go. A lot of people could get hurt. He was still trying to figure out a way to make everyone happy. His brain had become so consumed by the problem that it was affecting his work. He was becoming a master of the obvious and over-connecting with this victim's actions as attempts to right a wrong with his family. When Rios came in and started talking about Rusty's psych evaluation, Andy blurted out that he was seeing someone. Unfortunately this very case prevented him from attending his next appointment.

Sharon started to worry that something had happened with Andy and his family and wished she could find time to ask him about. She was very concerned by his behavior. She was really proud of how he handled the wedding and he hoped things were still okay. Sharon kept looking to Provenza, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. However, Provenza was just as clueless as she was. He finally decided to take action. Andy was getting on his nerves.

"Hey, what the hell's up with you?" Provenza asked, once he had Andy by himself.

"Look, I'm seeing a counselor because I'm trying to make things up to my family, and while I was doing that I sort of lied to my ex-wife," he confided.

"Why would you lie to your ex?" questioned Provenza.

"I don't know, force of habit?" he guessed. "Alright. After I brought Sharon to Nicole's wedding, everybody started asking about her. So, maybe I let my ex think I'm a little closer to Sharon than I really am. And now, my whole family wants me to bring Sharon—"

"Stop calling her that!" Provenza interrupted. He was starting to see where this was going and he was not ready to have this conversation. He headed to CAPTAIN Raydor's office.

"What?! It's her name!" Andy called after him. Provenza rolled his eyes and closed the door. He was sorry he'd asked.

Sharon glanced out her office window. She had heard Andy say her name several times, but she couldn't figure out what he and Provenza were discussing. 'What do I have to do with this?' she thought. Andy hovered by her window while she met with Rusty, Rios and Provenza. He kept making sad puppy dog faces through the window, and she decided she'd try to get the information from Provenza as soon as she could. However, she had more pressing matters to attend to with Rusty at the moment.

Later that day Andy and Provenza were discussing a matter pertaining to the case and Andy was finally acting a little more normal. Provenza was relieved that he wasn't going to have to have that conversation with Andy. However Andy's preoccupation finally got the best of him, and he changed the subject back to his family troubles. "Look, Nicole's two little stepsons are going to be in The Nutcracker tomorrow night. You know, the Christmas ballet I was talking about? The music is famous and some of the dancers are professionals!" Andy started.

"I'm not going," Provenza said flatly.

"What? No. Oh God, no. I'm not asking you. Look, I was wondering, because Nicole is kind of expecting me to bring her, if I asked the captain to come with me tomorrow, do you think she would take it the wrong way?" Andy asked, hoping for a little advice. This whole situation was starting to really eat at him. He couldn't believe he was looking to Provenza for help.

"Probably not. But if you have an extra ticket, who you should really bring along is your psychiatrist, so he can ask you, 'What the hell are you thinking?' Now is that our suspect's financials? May I see them, please?" Provenza could not believe what was coming out of Andy's mouth. Fraternizing with Raydor could only lead to trouble. He began to wonder what exactly had happened at the wedding to make his friend such a nervous wreck. He grabbed the papers and walked away.

Later in the afternoon, Sharon was meeting with Buzz and Provenza when she noticed Andy making sad puppy dog faces at her again through the window. "What's wrong with Andy?" she finally asked Provenza, after Buzz left. "Is he depressed?"

"No, he's depressing," Provenza replied, and signaled to Andy to knock it off. "Believe me, there is no crisis." Sharon wasn't reassured. She knew Provenza wasn't giving her the whole story.

Andy was tossing possible scenarios and outcomes around in his brain and unconsciously began hovering around Sharon's door again while she and Provenza were talking with a suspect. Provenza got fed up and left her office to deal with their rather pathetic looking friend.

Andy seemed grateful that he came out to talk, but Provenza was not in a good mood. "If you don't want to admit that you've let your family think the wrong thing, just tell them that a work thing came up."

"No, then I won't see them! I want to spend time with my daughter, and my son will be there too. And maybe, just maybe, they'll invite me to spend Christmas with them this year, instead of just having me drive by after dinner." Andy finally explained the source of his dilemma.

"And The Nutcracker is famous, you know. The captain might like it!" he reasoned. Provenza couldn't help to start to feel bad for his friend. This was about more than some weird thing with the captain. He was genuinely trying to doing something good for his family.

"Flynn, the captain's daughter is a dancer in the American Ballet Theatre. She has probably seen The Nutcracker a thousand times!" Andy seemed to be considering his words, but Provenza still took pity on him.

"Alright, look. I'll go with you. And I'll pretend that 'Sharon' is too busy to come. How 'bout that?" Provenza offered.

"Yeah," Andy said, dejectedly, "Right, that's probably better anyway." He appreciated Provenza's offer. It seemed to solve his problem, but he realized he still really wanted Sharon to be there with him. He thought she made a better buffer than Provenza, for obvious reasons. And besides, he was really kind of enjoyed her company at the wedding and afterwards in the car… 'No,' he thought, 'this is for the best.'

As he walked away, looking a little defeated, Sharon continued to watch him as Provenza returned to her office. She knew for sure that this had something to do with her. Besides the earlier clues, Provenza had just repeatedly gestured to her while he was talking with Andy. 'What on earth is the problem? What could I have to do with his mood? Does this still have anything to do with his family?' She really wanted answers, but decided to wait for Andy to come to her. She wanted to respect his privacy, as long as it didn't keep affecting his work in any harmful ways.

The team headed out later to the victim's family's house after they had solved their case to make their arrest. With everything on his mind, Andy still couldn't get over how even though the victim, a father, had made several bad choices, he got killed for trying to do the right thing. He wanted nothing more than to make the rest of his family see just how lucky they were to have a father who cared. When he saw the man's son get excited about being "rich" again, he lost it.

"You were always rich. Don't you get it? You had a father who cared so much for is family, that he did every crazy thing he could do by trying to make up for his failings. Having a dad like that means you were rich from the day you were born," Andy angrily yelled at the son. He turned towards the wife and Sharon tried to put her arm on him to calm him. Andy didn't stop.

"And you, you were rich too. But, you didn't want to be. You wanted lots of money. And how is that working out for you, huh?" he shouted at the wife.

"Flynn, that's enough!" Provenza yelled at him. Andy threw up his hands and walked out of the room, regretting losing his cool again, but he just couldn't help it. Not with everything going on with his own family.

Sharon couldn't take it anymore. She asked Sykes and Sanchez to finish up the arrest and was about to go after him, but Provenza signaled that he was going take care of it. She hesitantly agreed, but she didn't know how longer she was going to be able to stand by and watch as his boss or as his friend.

Later in the murder room, Rios and the team were discussing the charges being brought against the victim's wife while Sharon was working on reports in her office. The team was again talking about how the victim had gone crazy, and Andy once again felt the urge to come to the victim's defense.

"I disagree. He went out and tried as hard as he could to give his family what they expected from him. He made a promise to the people he cared most about and did everything he could to keep it. Maybe his methods were a little crazy, but his intent was absolutely right," he declared. "Absolutely right…" And in that moment, he received some clarity.

He was going to bring Sharon. His method might be a little crazy too, but he couldn't disappoint his family again. He would work out the rest of the details later, but it was time to invite her, and not take no for an answer. He formulated his plan and entered Sharon's office, while Provenza just shook his head.

"Sorry to interrupt," he started with a confidence greater than what he was actually feeling inside. Sharon closed her computer's lid and hoped he was finally going to tell her what was wrong and how she was involved.

"I need a favor," he continued. She was surprised.

"Oh? What kind of favor?" she replied.

The story just started spilling out of his mouth. "Well, it's costing a fortune to send my daughter's new stepkids to ballet class. She has no idea if these two little boys are getting anything out of it. Tomorrow night they are in a little bit of The Nutcracker."

"Oh, how exciting for them!" Sharon smiled, having no idea why he was telling her all of this.

"Nicole was looking for an objective person who knows a little something about dance to tell her if she's wasting her money on all of these leotards. And I was just realized, that could be you." He smiled, because he wasn't sure if he was being convincing or not.

"I'm hardly an expert," she said. 'This really can't be what he was moody about all day,' she thought.

"You're better than Provenza!" he continued smiling, trying to win her over.

"Oh, I see," she laughed. That may be true, but it was time to call him on his BS.

"Andy, I'll go with you regardless, but would like to tell me what's really going on here?" she gave him one more chance to come clean.

He panicked. She saw right through him. But, he kept his confident façade going, again choosing to deal with the consequences later. "Uh, no, not really," he responded. "So, I'll pick you up around 6? I'll take you out to dinner first for all the trouble."

"It's no trouble," she responded. "I'll see you then." He saluted her and walked out the door. She was still baffled, but hoped to figure it tomorrow night. Maybe he still wanted a buffer with his family, but he felt he was imposing on her? She was excited about going, though. She hadn't been to the ballet in awhile, and she enjoyed meeting Andy's family at the wedding. Most of them, anyway. This could be fun.

Andy was glad he had gotten that over with. Sharon was coming. That fixed problem number one. He still didn't know how he was going to deal with his family's wrong assumptions, but opted to deal with that later, if needed. Maybe he could somehow clear things up without having to make things awkward. He phoned Nicole quickly to let her know Sharon was coming for sure. He still felt a bit guilty, he was sure this would all work out one way or another…


	7. Chapter 7

Sharon and Andy were sitting across from each other at a pretty nice Italian restaurant. He didn't want to choose anything too fancy to give the wrong impression, but nice enough to show his gratitude that she was coming. He found a great place with good food and a friendly atmosphere, and he had to admit, he had great company for the meal.

Even though Sharon still hadn't worked out the motivation behind Andy's invitation, she was having a great time. She loved hearing about his family, but he was starting to open up more about himself now. He was talking about growing up with his brothers, and shared a story about stealing a motorcycle with Patrick and getting caught by the police and shown around the jail. He said that experience was largely what led him to becoming a cop. Sharon laughed and gasped at all the right places in his story.

Sharon shared her story too. She talked about working as a cop to help put her husband through law school, but then getting pregnant twice and having Jack leave prevented her from attending law school herself, which was her original intention.

"Thank God," Andy smiled at her. "I would have disliked you even more as a lawyer than I did when you were in the FID."

Sharon laughed heartily at that. "Ah yes," she said, "well, I like the law a lot better than I like lawyers now."

Andy smiled. As much as was glad things worked out for the best, he was still disappointed to get a glimpse at the dark side of Jack Raydor. He had never been personally close to Jack, but their paths had crossed many times at the local bars back before he got sober, and he seemed like such a fun and charismatic guy. 'Like many other addicts,' he thought.

They finished up their meal and got ready to head to the ballet. Sharon was looking forward to seeing his family again, and Andy was just hoping things wouldn't get awkward, and that Sharon wouldn't discover his family's misconceptions and his choice to not correct them…although he hoped he could always fall back on playing dumb if worse came to worst.

They arrived and found Nicole, Steve, and Daniel in the lobby of the theatre. Andy was glad Daniel had been talked into coming. Lisa and Jim had gone in to find seats for the whole crew.

"Hi, Dad! Thanks for coming!" Nicole said as she gave her dad a big hug. As Andy shook Steve and Daniel's hands, Nicole turned to Sharon and gave her a hug as well, which surprised both Sharon and Andy, for two very different reasons.

"Thank you for coming! Dad tells me your daughter was a professional dancer. I hope you haven't been too spoiled by the professional ballet to enjoy their show. Aidan and Hunter are so excited! They've been practicing hard for weeks! I can't wait to see them!"

"As much as I love watching Emily dance professionally, I miss the days of the childhood dance recitals. They are so cute at that age. I can't wait to see your boys!" Sharon returned, smiling.

Nicole grinned, "Well, we're all here, I think. Why don't we find Mom and Jim and get settled in."

Steve led them in and Andy made sure sat between Nicole and Sharon. Nicole kept an eye on her dad and Sharon before the show and in between acts. She had noticed that Sharon was a calming presence for him around her mom at the wedding. She also saw how they danced. And if nothing else, Sharon just seemed like a great person. She was very happy her dad had found someone like her and thought it spoke volumes that someone like her was willing to give her dad a chance.

Andy honestly wasn't expecting to enjoy the show. He was there for his family. But between watching his daughter beam with pride when her sons were on stage and having Sharon whisper explanations about what was happening to him throughout the show, he found the whole thing quite nice.

The whole family met up with Aidan and Hunter after the show and decided to take them out for frozen custard. Andy couldn't contain his pleasure at being included on the invite once again as he and Sharon drove to the custard place.

After everyone placed their orders, he stayed up front with Steve to pay and help deliver their orders as they were made. Once they had grabbed the last orders, he headed over to find Sharon and Daniel having a conversation. He smiled at his good luck as he headed over to join in.

It had been harder on Daniel than Nicole to accept his dad back into his life. He was younger when his dad had disappeared and he shared most of his father/son moments with Jim. Daniel had been noticing that his dad had been a lot more consistent in coming around, though. He was pleasantly surprised that he came to his sister's wedding, even though he still wasn't ready to talk to him then.

He saw how he was coming through for Nicole more and more lately, and he decided that he was willing to give a relationship with his dad another try, but he didn't really know where to start. When Andy was up getting the frozen custard with Steve, Daniel saw an opportunity to talk to Sharon and hoped that she would help ease some of the awkwardness when his dad came back over.

"Hey Daniel," Andy greeted as he sat down.

"Hi, Dad," Daniel smiled back nervously. There was an uncomfortable pause.

"Daniel was just telling me about this service organization he joined at UCLA," Sharon chimed in. "It sounds like they have some really interesting projects planned for next semester."

"Oh, yeah?" Andy asked.

Daniel was grateful for Sharon's help. "Yeah, we are actually planning an Alternative Spring Break trip right now. It's a way for college kids to do something good for others instead of just partying and getting drunk on a beach somewhere for a whole week. We are aiming to go to the Caribbean or Central America this year, but we are still researching."

"Wow, Son, I'm really proud of you. That sounds like a fantastic way to spend a week. I can't wait to hear more about it." Andy was impressed by his maturity. He certainly wouldn't have been able to say the same about himself at Daniel's age. Daniel smiled shyly. 'Maybe this will be work,' he thought.

Everyone finished up their treats and Nicole and Steve started saying their good-byes so they could get the boys home. When they got to Sharon and Andy, Nicole thanked them both again for coming and expressed her regrets that they didn't get to chat more.

"We'll have to do lunch sometime," she said. "You, Dad and me. I don't really know any of his friends." Andy was relieved at her choice of words.

"Sounds great," Sharon smiled.

"Good night, all!" Nicole waved as their family headed home.

Daniel saw his mom and Jim cleaning up and said, "I'd better go help, it looks like we are leaving too."

Andy was disappointed that is was already time to go. He felt like they were just getting started. "It was great talking to you, Daniel. When do classes start back up?" Andy asked him.

"January 18," Daniel responded.

"Would you be interested in catching a Lakers game with me before you go back?" Andy inquired.

"Yeah, Dad, sounds great!" Daniel tried not to get his hopes up. He knew his dad didn't have the best follow through in the past. But recent events indicated a change. It was worth a shot.

"Can't wait, Kid. I'll be in touch. Good night!" Andy said excitedly. He couldn't believe he actually had plans to hang out with both of his kids.

"Night, Dad!" He said, as he followed his mom and Jim out of the door.

Sharon gestured towards door. "Shall we?" she asked.

"After you," he smiled and put his hand on her back as he guided her out of the door. Sharon noticed his touch and turned back at him. Andy realized what he had done and quickly dropped his hand. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay," she replied and smiled at him before continuing through. His touch had surprised her in the moment, but now that it was gone, she found she kind of missed it as they walked together to the car.

With all her detective skills, she was still never able to figure out why Andy was so anxious yesterday and what was up with his unusual invitation. It seemed like things were going great with his family. She was about to interrogate him on the drive home, but he starting talking about how excited he was about lunch with Nicole and the basketball game with Daniel, that she didn't want to spoil the evening by questioning his motive. She decided to let it go. She enjoyed her night with him and his family, and she was going to leave it at that.


	8. Chapter 8

It was a week before Christmas and Andy and Sharon were on their way to meet Nicole for lunch.

"Are you sure you don't mind going to lunch with us? Nicole really seemed to take to you and wants to get to know you better, but I could come up with an excuse if you don't want to come," Andy was feeling a little self conscious about Nicole insisting on inviting Sharon everywhere, especially since he hadn't cleared up their real status.

"It's no trouble," Sharon assured him. "Nicole is a lovely young woman. I'm happy to get to know her better." Sharon turned to face him to emphasis her next point. "Don't go changing plans on her unless it's absolutely necessary. Besides, I think I'll rather enjoy the distraction." Sharon had been feeling very overwhelmed with Rusty's current situation and needed a momentary break from police officers and lawyers.

"Rusty is going to be okay, Sharon. He's tougher than many people I've met twice his age. We've all got his back. He's going to be okay."

"I know that in my head, but my heart is having trouble catching up. I just cannot wait until it is all over, and Rusty can finally start to live his life." Sharon put her head back against the headrest of Andy's car and closed her eyes. Andy left her in peace until they arrived at O'Malleys.

Nicole had already arrived and grabbed them a booth. She was sitting at the end of one side, forcing Andy and Sharon to sit next to each other on the other side. They ordered drinks, and Nicole started up the conversation.

"So, Dad mentioned to me when you came to my stepsons' recital that your daughter is a professional dancer. I've been dying to ask you about that!" Nicole said enthusiastically.

Sharon smiled. In addition to always worrying about their kids, mothers also never pass up the opportunity to brag on their kids as well. "Oh yes. I started Emily in dance lessons when she was three. She had always loved moving to music, even as a baby, and I thought it would perfect for her. I thought it might be nice to have an activity all her own, especially after her baby brother was born. I also knew it for me it would be a great way to meet some other moms. I was young working mother, and I was in desperate need of some adult company. Emily lived and breathed dance from that point on."

"That's incredible. Aidan and Hunter seem to really love it. I hope they'll stick with it for awhile. Their mother loved to dance and I think Steve wanted to let them give it a try to see if it was in their genetics. I think it'll mean a lot to them when they are older to be able to keep her memory alive through their dancing. I guess we'll see! Tell me about your other kids!"

As Sharon told her about Ricky and Rusty, she found Nicole to be one of those people who could be friends with just about anyone they met. She was very charming and charismatic. She found it humorous after meeting her mother and knowing her father. Kids don't always take after their parents. They passed the rest of their meal in easy conversation. Andy really enjoyed that Sharon and Nicole got along so well.

Andy drove Sharon home. As he pulled into the garage, she invited him up to her condo because she had a recipe she wanted to give him before the holidays hit. Still in a good mood from lunch they joked all the way up the elevator and down the hall. Sharon was still laughing as she unlocked her door and stepped inside. Little did she know, a surprise was waiting for her in her living room.

"Hi, Mom!"

Sharon immediately dropped her things. "Ricky! What are you doing here?" She ran up to a young man who surpassed her in height by almost a foot and threw her arms around him. She stepped back and said, "I'm so sorry, where are my manners? Andy, this is my son, Ricky. Ricky, Andy." Andy stepped in and shook his hand. Ricky looked at his mom with his eyebrows raised. He clearly wasn't expecting his mother to return home laughing with a man. Sharon caught on and clarified, "Andy is a lieutenant in my division. He was just coming up to grab the recipe for my veggie lasagna."

"Ah ha," Ricky replied. They seemed more comfortable than coworkers in Ricky's opinion, but he wasn't going to push the issue right now. "To answer your question, I am here to surprise you with a Christmas visit. I didn't think I was going to be able to get away from work, but Eric's mother is ill and we decided to shut down business for the holiday after all, and I seized the opportunity to visit my much neglected mother."

"You're here all week? That's the best present I could have gotten from you!" She threw her arms around him again.

Andy was starting to feel like he was intruding on Ricky's homecoming, so he said to Sharon, "I'm going to take off. I can get that recipe from you later."

"Oh, Andy, I'm sorry. It's right over here. Let me grab it for you." Sharon dug through a box of recipes and handed Andy the card. Ricky waited in the kitchen while Sharon walked Andy to the door. He noticed his mom seemed very…happy. He hoped it was because of his visit, but he wondered if Andy had something to do with it. His parents hadn't been together in a long time, but it was still strange seeing her laughing with someone else as she entered the condo.

Andy felt a pang of jealousy at Sharon and Ricky's relationship, but was mostly happy for Sharon to have her son home. "Enjoy your weekend together," he smiled at her. Sharon returned the smile. "Thanks, Andy, and thanks for lunch, too. I hope I'll get the chance to meet up with Nicole again. She's a lovely young woman." Their eyes met just then. As happy as Sharon was by Ricky's surprise, she found herself regretting for a moment that he was leaving so fast. Before she knew what she was saying, she added, "You know, why don't you, Nicole and Steve meet Ricky, Rusty, and me for dinner on Sunday? I can make up some of that lasagna and we can pull out some of the games that gather dust in the closet when it's just Rusty and me here. It'll be good for Ricky and Rusty to have more bonding time, and some more company closer to their age. I'm sure they'll be bored with me by then."

Andy didn't think being stuck with Sharon all weekend seemed like that terrible of an ordeal, but the idea of spending more time with his daughter and son-in-law, as well as Rusty, Ricky, and Sharon sounded great. He said he'd call them to double check, but it sounded like fun.

"Great, I'll see you then! Bye, Andy."

"Bye, Sharon."


	9. Chapter 9

Rusty didn't think much of it when Sharon told him and Ricky that Andy and Nicole would be joining them for dinner on Sunday. Rusty was used to the officers at Major Crimes, and it wasn't unheard of for Andy to drop by the condo on occasion. However, Ricky was a little suspicious, especially after seeing Rusty's easy going reaction.

Sharon went to the store to pick up a few items and Ricky used that opportunity to quiz Rusty on Lieutenant Andy Flynn.

"Does that Andy guy spend a lot of time here?" he casually inquired while they were playing video games in the living room.

"Lieutenant Flynn? Not a lot, no. Sharon has started spending more time with all of the team outside of work, now that they've gotten to know her a bit better, but they only come here occasionally. Why?" Rusty responded, without taking his eyes off of the game. He sensed where Ricky was headed with this, but didn't want him to worry that Sharon and Andy hanging out was any big deal.

"Just curious," Ricky said. Rusty didn't seem to share his same suspicion about the lieutenant and his mom, which he was very glad about. "Mom never had coworkers over for dinner when we were growing up. It just seemed unusual. I'm glad she's got some friends there, now that she's out of IA. I worry about her being lonely since both Emily and I left town. I guess she's got you here too."

"Yup. I think she goes out for drinks with the team sometimes after closing a case. Her and Flynn do dinner sometimes too," he said, trying to assure Ricky she wasn't sitting at home all the time. "Sharon's gone to some family stuff with Flynn recently, too. She starting to have a life," he joked.

"Family stuff?" Ricky inquired. He was curious about the dinner comment too.

"Yeah," said Rusty, "a wedding and a dance recital I think, and maybe a couple of lunches with his daughter. He's a recovering alcoholic and is trying to fix things with his family. Sharon is trying to help where she can, because of her experience with..." Rusty trailed off, remembering that Jack was Ricky's dad and Ricky lived that experience firsthand.

"Yeah. That sounds like Mom," Ricky said. "She likes to fix things." He didn't say anything else, but continued playing the game. He wasn't really sure why his mom was getting so involved in the life of another addict after everything his dad put them through. But, he was pretty certain that his mom wouldn't get romantically involved with another addict, even if he was sober now. She especially wouldn't while she was still married. His mom always did things the proper way. He put his guard down about Andy and stopped quizzing Rusty about him.

Sharon returned a little while later with everything she needed, and the boys finished up their game and jumped up to help with the preparations. Half an hour later, they heard a knock on the door. "Ricky, would you get that please?" Sharon asked.

Ricky wiped his hands on a nearby towel and answered the door. "Hey, Andy," he said and smiled as he shook his hand. Andy introduced him to his daughter as he handed over a bottle of wine and a bottle sparkling cider they brought for dinner.

"Steve sends his regrets," Nicole said as she joined everyone in the kitchen area. "Hunter's been down with the flu, and he figured it better to stay home with the boys than risk infecting a babysitter and worrying about them the whole time we were gone."

"I completely understand," Sharon replied with a sympathetic smile. She turned her smile to Ricky and Rusty as they set the table.

"It smells absolutely amazing in here. I think Dad needs to get a hold of some of your recipes. His vegetarian cooking never smells this good," Nicole teased her dad. "Growing up, though, I remember Dad used to make a mean meatball!" Sharon, Rusty, and Ricky laughed as Andy pretended to be offended.

"Oh, c'mon, the vegetarian stuff isn't that bad. But you're right, cooking was more your mother's forte," he conceded.

"Dinner is served!" Rusty called from the dining area. The Raydors and the Flynns gathered hungrily at the table. There was a huge lasagna sitting in the middle of the table, surrounded by salad and garlic bread. The glasses were filled with wine and cider for everyone.

They ate, told jokes, and shared stories of the kids growing up. There were some pretty embarrassing tales to tell about Emily and Daniel since they weren't around to defend themselves. Sharon shared comical stories of Andy and Provenza getting themselves into trouble, and Andy responded with tales of their mother's reputation in FID. Everyone was in good humor and having a great time.

When stomachs were full and they were basking around the table, not quite ready to get up, Ricky's phone rang. After a quick glance at his caller ID, he excused himself and began to exit the room to take the call. His mother raised her eyebrows at him, but when he told her it was his sister, she let him go unreprimanded. Andy, Nicole and Rusty continued to talk while Sharon wondered what Emily had to say. Ricky returned a few minutes later and held the phone out to Sharon. "She wants to talk to you, too," he explained.

Sharon popped out of her seat and headed to her bedroom to talk to her daughter.

"Oh, Emily, you're timing is wonderful! Ricky's been in town and I've been wishing you were here too. How are you doing, Love?"

"I'm great, Mom. I tried to call you earlier, but I think your phone may be off, so I tried Ricky instead. He told me he was going to surprise you," Emily said. "How's the visit going?"

"It's been great, outside of missing you. We actually have company for dinner tonight: one of my lieutenants and his daughter. I think you would get along with her famously. I hope you'll get to meet her sometime."

"Wow," Emily said. Like Ricky, she was surprised by her mother's familiarity with one of her coworkers when he filled her in on their dinner guests. She also felt a bit jealous, because from what she'd been hearing, this Nicole seemed to be getting to spend more time her mom than she did. She wondered why that was, but didn't want to start interrogating her over the phone. "Sounds like a great evening! Glad you're doing so well, Mom, and that you're enjoying Ricky's surprise."

"Oh, I am," Sharon smiled into the phone.

"How about another one?" Emily continued.

"Another surprise?" Sharon asked. Her mind started racing.

"How would you like another visitor? We just finished our last show before the holiday and I've been missing you like crazy!"

"Of course! Of course! You don't even have to ask! Get here ASAP!" Sharon exclaimed, so excited to have her whole family together for the holidays.

Emily laughed, "I know, but I did want to give you some warning…or at least Rusty some warning. That's a lot of company all at once, and don't want to overwhelm him too much."

"Thanks for being so considerate of him, Sweetheart. I think he'll be fine. I'm excited he's finally getting to meet you all!" Sharon assured her. "Call me when you have your flight info, and I'll be there to pick you up!"

"I just gave it all to Ricky. I'll be in tomorrow night. I love you, Mom!"

"Love you, too, Em."

Sharon could not contain her excitement as she made her way back out to the table and shared the good news. Rusty did seem a bit nervous, as Emily predicted, but he seemed excited too. Andy noticed Sharon seemed to be glowing, and at that thought he felt something move deep inside him. He didn't quite recognize what exactly, but he felt quite content here with Nicole, Sharon, and Sharon's family all around the table together.

After dinner they decided to pull out a board game to play together. They laughed, accused their opponents of conspiring together and all around enjoyed each other's company. When the hour started getting late, Nicole decided it was probably time to relieve Steve of his nursing duties for awhile. Sharon walked them to the door.

"Sharon, I can't thank you enough for such a wonderful evening. I hope you'll let us return the favor soon. Have a wonderful Christmas and new year!"

"My pleasure, Nicole! Your family is welcome here anytime!" Sharon replied genuinely. Nicole grinned at her and looked at her dad, loving the effect this woman was having on him. On an impulse, she held open her arms and gave Sharon a quick squeeze. She was bringing out a side of her dad that Nicole absolutely loved, and she hoped this woman was here to stay. Sharon was momentarily surprised, but smiled and returned the gesture fondly.

Nicole started down the hall to give her dad and Sharon a moment, just in case they wanted one.

Andy smiled and raised his eyebrows at Nicole's good-bye to Sharon. "Sharon, thank you for everything," Andy started.

"It was nothing, just dinner and conversation. I had a great time. I'm so glad you guys were able to come," Sharon smiled at him.

"I did, too," Andy said, and he started to feel that shift inside again, "but I want to thank you for more than that. I haven't gotten to spend that kind of quality time with my daughter in a long time. The lunch dates are great, but to get laugh and reminisce with her about the days before things got rough…" he trailed off as he felt his eyes fill with water. "I'm not really sure I could have done it without you."

Sharon loved this side of Andy. "You've been working very hard to show Nicole you've changed. You've earned your second chance with her. Treasure every moment of it," she said. She paused for a moment, trying to keep her own emotions in check, and continued, "and whatever you do, don't you dare screw it up!" she said in her best Captain Raydor voice.

Andy chuckled. "I won't, I promise. Good night, Sharon. See you tomorrow."

"Good bye," she said and smiled to herself as she watched him meet his daughter at the elevator.


	10. Chapter 10

The Christmas holidays came and went. Both Andy and Sharon found themselves very busy with cases at work and squeezing in time for their families when they could. Sharon loved spending time with Emily, Ricky and Rusty, but she was surprised to find herself missing Andy's company outside of work. It was nice to have people her own age to talk to, also. She had reached a pause in the flow of their case as she waited for labs to come back and for a search warrant to come through. She looked out her office window and saw Andy sifting through some papers, as the others were headed out, breaking for lunch. She exited her office and walked up to him.

"Not joining the others for lunch?" she inquired. He smiled at the sound of her voice and looked up from his papers.

"This is riveting stuff, here. I just couldn't tear myself away," he responded. Sharon looked over his shoulder and saw a huge phone dump sitting on his desk and the highlighter marks were telltale signs that Andy had been pouring through looking for suspicious calls and patterns.

Sharon laughed lightly, "Oh, I see," she said. Andy laughed in reply. "I'm stuck here waiting for the labs and the warrant. There's a sandwich shop a few blocks away that delivers. I was thinking about ordering lunch there. Want me to get you something?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, Sharon, thanks," he replied, gratefully. Sharon returned to her office and made the call. When lunch arrived, she invited Andy into her office to take a break and eat for a few minutes.

"Andy, we've barely talked, and I've been dying to know, how was Christmas with your kids?" She asked after they got settled in with their food. She saw his face immediately lighten up.

"It was incredible! This is the first time I've been invited to be there the whole day. It was nice getting to have young kids around for presents again. And I don't know if it was the festive season, or what, but Lisa and I were able remain civil the whole day. No arguments or bickering. I gave Daniel basketball tickets, and he actually seems excited to go with me," Andy replied happily. "How 'bout you? How was your visit with Ricky and Emily? Did everyone make it home alright?"

"They did. It was busy, but great. They seemed very open and welcoming to Rusty. And I got to grill them on their lives and just enjoy having everyone in one place. It slipped by so quickly, like their visits always do, but they left with promises of coming back soon, so we shall see," she said skeptically. "At least I still have Rusty," she smiled. There was silence for a while as they continued to eat.

Sharon seemed lost in thought, when Andy asked her, "What's on your mind?"

"We had an, uh, interesting visit from Jack while they were here," she said carefully.

"Oh?" was all Andy could reply. Sharon could talk about her kids for hours, but she hadn't ever really brought up Jack since she mentioned her story of joining the LAPD, and he left the subject alone, figuring it wasn't something she wanted to talk about with him.

Sharon continued, "Last time he came to visit, part of the agreement for him to stay at my place was that he call his kids. I hadn't realized that he and Ricky had actually been staying in touch by phone since then."

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?" Andy asked.

"Yes, I think so. I don't know. Ricky told him that Emily was here too and he just showed up the day after Christmas. It didn't sit well with me. I want to believe that he is making more time for his children after all these years. You are proof that it is possible to make amends," she paused and smiled at him. "However, I can't shake the feeling that he's up to something. That maybe he's using them, or using me somehow. I don't know, I'm just kind of glad he's gone now."

"Well, your gut instinct is good. Addicts tend to be really good at slipping into people's lives using them to suit their needs. However, if he really were interested in improving his relationship with Emily and Ricky, it wouldn't be good for you to stand in the way of that. Without proof, I wouldn't interfere with him keeping in contact with your kids, but just keep your eyes and ears open. You've got smart kids. I bet they'll see through him if his intentions aren't good," Andy tried to assure her.

"I hope so. Jack's pretty charming when he wants to be, and they always wanted their dad in their lives growing up. It could get tricky."

"And it also doesn't mean that you have to start letting him back in if you don't want to. Unfortunately he's the only father Ricky and Emily will ever have, but you don't have to be a part his life for him to be a part of theirs. My goal with Lisa has always been civility. I am very sorry for what I put her through, but outside of hoping for her forgiveness one day when she's ready, I have no expectations of that relationship. Just with my kids."

Sharon nodded and seemed to be mulling over what he had to say. They finished up their lunches with stories of funny Christmas gifts and grown up children reverting their child-like selves as they teased one another. Jack seemed to be back off her mind for now. Before they knew it, the rest of the team was filing back into the murder room. Tao had the lab results they'd been waiting on, and Sykes had the warrant. Andy cleaned up the remains of their lunch and said, "Back to work," and shrugged at her as he left her office. He noticed Provenza eyeing him kind of funny but chose to ignore it. He was in a good mood and didn't want to spoil it.

Sharon remained in her office a few more moments before joining her team in the murder room. She wanted to collect her thoughts. She had surprised herself by opening up to Andy about concerns with Jack. She had always been careful to keep conversations with him about her family away from that particular member.

However, she found it was nice having a sympathetic ear. The more time she spent with Andy, the more she felt like she could trust him. Plus, he was able to offer her a unique perspective. Andy and Jack had similarities in their past, but Andy had chosen the path she had always hoped Jack would…redemption. If Jack had ever really shown signs of wanting to change, she would be ready to forgive. But Jack had not made that choice yet. She had great respect for Andy, but it made her heart long for her kids to get the opportunity to reconnect with Jack the way Nicole and Daniel were getting to reconnect with Andy. That's when Sharon was hit with the realization: Andy was the kind of man she wished her husband had turned out to be.

She glanced at the clock, shook her head, and got herself back into captain mode. She stepped out of her office.

"Amy, you've got that warrant?" she asked.


	11. Chapter 11

After Sharon's revelation about Andy, she was having trouble shaking the thought from her brain. She had become hyperaware of his presence. She watched him carefully throughout cases and came to a new appreciation that when he come of harsh or aggressive (or as an asshole to use his words), it was a cover for or byproduct of how much he really cared about the people he was trying to bring justice to. When he was around, she took note of closeness to her, his cologne, the sound of his voice, and what he was wearing. Anytime he stood up for her or agreed with her, she felt her stomach flip a little.

'This is ridiculous,' she thought. She couldn't think this way about her lieutenant. Rules or not, she knew her thoughts were delving into inappropriate territory. She needed a distraction, and maybe a little bit of distance, before she made a complete fool out of herself.

Rusty's SIS operation and then the Phillip Stroh hearing turned out to be that distraction. Provenza was her right hand man when it came to Rusty, and Andy knew it was time to step back and support Sharon and Rusty as a member as the team. He stayed in the background and worked as hard as he could to catch the man writing them the threatening letters. Eventually the team caught their man.

As things began returning to normal (whatever normal meant in their lives), Sharon had convinced herself to keep her relationship with Andy more professional. She decided that if he came to her for help, she wouldn't leave him stranded. Their friendship was important to her. However, she was going to try to back off for awhile before her head got out of control. She was scared. Andy seemed to sense her need for space, and while he continued to offer her smiles and cups of coffee, he never pushed her into spending time together outside of work, although he found he missed her company.

Sharon stuck to her resolve for a little while, but she broke down when the team caught a new case, one involving a mother whose husband and two children went missing. The story ended tragically, when they discovered the mother's cousin had murdered all three. The children were discovered discarded by the highway in a suitcase. The whole team took the case hard. Sharon wanted to turn to Andy so many times, but didn't want to start that mess again.

When it was time to make the notification, Sharon sat in her office, trying to prepare herself for the worst part of her job, without much success. She kept hearing Andy's words from one of their first shared meals outside of work: "What we do, it's an important and necessary job, but it sure as hell isn't an easy one." That was feeling like the understatement of the century. Telling a mother her husband and children were gone was impossible under any circumstance, but during the investigation, she had suspected the mother and had withheld the news of their discovery from her. She was feeling guilt on top of the dread. Andy was watching her struggle and his heart was breaking for her. He wanted to take this from her. He approached her carefully.

"Look, you've been there for me a lot lately, with my family and my daughter, in particular. So, why don't I do this notification?" he offered, hoping she would take him up on it.

It was the perfect thing for him to say in that moment, but she knew she couldn't pass this off on him. She replied, "She deserves to hear about what happened, mother to mother. And, I was the one who insisted we hold back the information."

"That was the right thing to do." Andy reassured her. The rules. The others accused her of always worshipping the rules. But the rules were something consistent. They didn't change. They taught her exactly how to handle the situation. But the more time she spent in the Major Crimes Division, the more she became aware that even the rules had exceptions.

"Then why do I feel so terrible about it?" she choked out. The rules weren't going to bring this mother her children back. The rules were not going to comfort her when she received the worst news of her life.

Andy sighed, accepting Sharon's need to do on her own. He couldn't leave her completely alone in this, though. He told her, "I'll wait, in case you need me." Their eyes met for just a moment. And in that moment, Sharon experienced a sense of clarity.

Her lieutenant had been making her black and white world much grayer these days. At first it scared her. He along with the rest of the team challenged her every move in her early days as head of the division. However, Andy was also one of the first on the team to begin to understand her. He began to stick up for her. Yet he also challenged her thinking during cases in a whole new way. She didn't fully know it, but she was doing the same for him. They were helping each other grow.

What their relationship was growing into was confusing, but she didn't want to run from it, anymore. She had no idea how he felt. He obviously cared about her as a friend. Did his feelings run any deeper than that? There was a lot at risk here. If the answer was no, she could ruin their team dynamic, make a fool of herself, and leave herself open to a kind of heart break she hadn't felt since her husband left 20 years ago.

But what if Andy Flynn could be something more to her? She had spent those 20 years putting her own needs aside and taking care of everyone else, whether it be Jack when he graced them with his presence, Emily and Ricky, who she devoted her life to, or Rusty, who desperately needed a mother figure in his life. They may not have realized it, but back in her FID days, Sharon took care of LAPD officers in the best way she knew how. It didn't make her many friends, but she saved a few jobs and few lives along the way. In those 20 years, she had never felt the urge to date again. She was technically still married, and between her kids and her job, she didn't really have much time or opportunity for that kind of thing anyway.

So, during those 20 years, who had been taking care of Sharon? She had lead a fulfilling life so far, but the way Andy took care of her just then filled a hole inside of her she didn't know she had.

'No, no, no!' she stopped herself. 'I can't do this. I'm the captain of the division. He is my lieutenant. We are friends, that is all.' She made the decision then and there to more carefully guard her emotions.


	12. Chapter 12

Andy took Sharon out to dinner after the notification. She was grateful for the gesture, but after her earlier inner struggle, his company made her uneasy still. They made successfully made polite conversation throughout the meal, and Sharon was feeling more confident about her ability to keep her feelings in check. She was feeling better about the case and everything in general. Even though she was participating in the conversation, she still felt a bit removed from the evening.

Andy walked her up to her door after driving her home. "Sharon, are you sure you're okay? You seem to be a mile away," he asked her with a great deal of concern. Sharon was touched, once again, by his care for her and became at-risk of forgetting everything she had told herself earlier. She looked him in eyes, trying to read if she had really made the right decision, or if she should let him in on what was really on her mind. But as his eyes met hers, all she could think about was how much she wanted to feel his lips on hers.

"Andy, I—" Sharon started, when they heard the knob turn on her door and they both about jumped out of their skin. Rusty was looking at something on his phone. He looked up and seemed just as startled as they were when he noticed them. "Lieutenant, Sharon! Sorry, I didn't know you were out here. Just taking out the trash," he explained as he gestured to the bag in is other hand.

"Hey, Rusty. I'm just dropping Sharon off. Rough closing to our case today," Andy replied. Rusty's presence snapped Sharon back to reality, and she couldn't be more grateful that he saved her from the mistake she was about to make.

"Thank you, Andy, for the ride and dinner," she said quickly, avoiding any more eye contact. "And for being so supportive about the case," she added. She really did appreciate all he had done.

"What time should I pick you up for work in the morning?" Andy asked.

"I can take her, if you want," Rusty chimed in.

Sharon smiled at him. "Thanks, Rusty." She was grateful for the excuse to turn down Andy's offer.

"Good night, Lt," Rusty said as he walked to the garbage chute.

"'Night, Kid," Andy returned.

"I guess that settles it," Andy smiled at her. He was wondering what Sharon was about to tell him before they were interrupted. Her mind seemed far away, until all of sudden she was staring at him with an intensity he couldn't read. He couldn't explain it, but it felt like in that moment his heart skipped a beat. She now seemed ready to call it a night, though, and he didn't want to push her after a day like today. Maybe she wasn't comfortable with Rusty nearby, able to return at any moment. He caught her gaze once final time and watched her sigh. He wished he could drive her to work to have more time to get to the bottom of this, but it'd have to wait.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then," Sharon said as she half-smiled back at him.

"Call me if you need anything, Sharon," he told her. Sharon's half-smile became a full one. "I will," she promised. She watched as Andy made his way down the hall to the elevator. He gave her a little wave before entering and she retreated to her apartment.

Sharon walked around the living room tidying things up while waiting for Rusty to return so she could tell him goodnight and make their arrangements for the morning. She retreated to her bedroom to have some time to think before going to sleep. She removed her shoes and flopped on the bed. Before she had any more time to over analyze her day, she was fast asleep.

On the drive to work the next morning, Rusty noticed Sharon was being unusually quiet.

"You okay, Sharon? You seem kind of distracted today. Lt. Flynn said the case ended roughly?" Rusty offered.

Sharon sighed, wondering how much she wanted to share with Rusty. "It's impossible enough to tell someone her husband and children have died, but to tell her they were murdered by someone she loved and trusted…" Sharon trailed off sadly.

"Wow," was all Rusty could say. Rusty had been hoping to talk to Sharon about something important this morning, something related to his mother, but decided she had been through enough for now. He surely could find a better time than this.

Rusty dropped her off, and Sharon headed up to her office. Andy was already there. She smiled and said good morning, because that's what friends and colleagues do, and he returned the gesture. On her desk she found she found a coffee waiting for her, steam pouring out of the little hole on the lid. She looked out her window at Andy's desk and the matching cup on his desk was confirmation of the coffee's source. She smiled again to herself. Having a friend take care of her was rather nice, she decided. She just needed to be more careful. Time to begin pouring through the dreaded paperwork.


	13. Chapter 13

Sharon Beck had returned. Provenza had gotten the memo before the rest of the division, but the news was out now. Everyone was concerned for Rusty's sake of course, but they were also worried about their Sharon.

Andy couldn't help but be surprised by Sharon's cool, collected demeanor when meeting Rusty's biological mother, the one who had abandoned in him and chosen a life of sex and drugs over her only child. Andy knew what Sharon thought of the woman, and once again was amazed at her ability to remain poised under the worst of circumstances, all for Rusty's sake. It's a feat he's not sure he would ever be able to accomplish. It's one of the things who truly admired about her.

Andy had taken her out to dinner the day after the official meeting. He sensed she might need to talk, and not only had he dealt with his own addictions, he had a lot of experience with other who had them as well. He didn't know if he'd be able to offer some insight that could help with the whole ugly situation.

Sharon needed to vent a bit, so she appreciated Andy's offer. She had spent a lot of energy keeping calm in front of Rusty, and she knew she could vent to Andy and relieve some of the anxiety that had made a steady presence in her life since the return of Sharon Beck.

"Sharon, you've been amazing about this whole situation. Keeping an eye the situation, but giving him time reconnect and form his own conclusions. I know I couldn't do it. I know how you feel about her, though. How are you holding up on the inside?" Andy inquired.

"Oh, Andy," Sharon sighed, relived that someone knew what she was going through internally. "Rusty is so thrilled to have her back, and really wants to believe that things are going to turn out well, even though I know his realistic side is still skeptical. I want to believe it is possible, but Andy, if she hurts him again…" Sharon paused as her voice began to break and tried to collect herself, rubbing her temples. Andy gently guided her hands down and held onto them, encouraging her to continue. She looked up at him. She had been trying to avoid physical contact, but it was too comforting in this moment to push him away.

"I feel so helpless. I want to jump in and shield him from her, but I can't do that. There are a thousand reasons that I can't do that. But, I still have that urge inside of me to do anything I can to protect him from anymore pain. I know this is going to end in pain." If felt good to finally say it all out loud.

"You know better than anyone we can't always protect our children from pain. You are a smart woman. You know trying to stand between him and his mother, no matter your intentions, will not do your relationship with Rusty any good. As hard as it is, you've made an amazing choice to give someone he loves a chance to redeem herself, no matter how much you don't want to risk the potential disappoint and hurt. These things don't always end well, but with support, recovery can also be successful. Sometimes us losers take our second chance and make a miracle of it. Be prepared, but don't forget to be hopeful too. She will never replace what you've been to Rusty, but if he can have her back in addition to you, it would be great for him. And if it doesn't work out, then maybe he will finally begin to see his mother for who she is and he can begin to move on. He's grown up a lot since he's met you."

Sharon gave his hands a quick squeeze and then settled back in her chair, removing them from his hold. She was so grateful for Andy's perspective in this whole difficult situation. If she hadn't gotten to know him so well, she wouldn't have been able to have any hope for Sharon Beck's recovery, but Andy did it, and was continuing to do it every day.

Rusty went to see his mom again just to spend time with her. After he left he stopped by Sharon's office. It pained her every time he shared with her something else suspicious. She was glad he was on his guard, but she did want things to work out the best for his sake. He deserved a break. He showed her a prescription his mom asked him to fill and wanted her opinion.

"Rusty, I really don't know what this prescription is for. It's not something I've heard of, but I can do a little research if you'd like. No matter what, I think it'd be good to wait on filling this prescription. She said it was for when she left, so we have a bit of time. She can always fill it herself later if it is legitimate."

Rusty was grateful for Sharon's help, even though he hated admitting that his mom could be screwing up yet again. He left the office and excused himself from the murder room as he headed towards the garage to go home.

Andy had been watching the exchange and caught Sharon's eye from out in the murder room, and Sharon flashed something that looked like a prescription at him. His stomach sank, worried about what this could mean. As soon as he had the chance he knocked on her door to see what was up.

"Hydroxyzine is a fairly mild anti-anxiety medication, but I cannot believe this is a part of Sharon Beck's treatment in rehab, am I wrong?" Sharon asked him, handing over the prescription. She had a chance to do a quick internet search on the drug, but it left her with more questions than answers.

"No, hydroxyzine also covers up the side effects of heroine and it's a cheap way to bump up your high," Andy informed her.

"So Rusty's mom is planning on using again," Sharon's disappointment was obvious. She didn't know how she was going to tell Rusty.

"Well, where is she? Wall-to-wall drug addict's jonesing under a court order. Best place in the world to score drugs. If his mom broke the law, problem solved. You can put her in jail." He knew Sharon didn't want to do that, but this new information led him to believe that Sharon had no plans to get better. You have to want it in order for it happen. This was a lost cause, at least for now.

"That not my goal," Sharon reminded him.

Andy leaned in a bit. "Most addicts' strong suit? Manipulation of family." Sharon didn't need reminding of that one. Suddenly the DDA that was attached to their current case barged in to her office, putting an abrupt end to their rather personal conversation. They both jumped to put a more professional amount of distance between them as they continued with the case at hand.

Sharon was at home chatting with Rusty about their case when his phone rang. He checked the caller ID. "Speaking of drunks…" and he answered the phone and left the table. Sharon's heart broke for him. He used to be so positive when talking about her. Part of her was glad he was growing up, but any loss of innocence where he was concerned was painful to watch. He had lost to much so young. Sharon listened to his side of the conversation, and was proud of him, in spite of it all. She was always proud of him. He hung up the phone and returned to the table.

"That prescription that my mom gave me to filled, there's something wrong it, isn't there?" Rusty asked her after hanging up the phone.

All Sharon could say was "Yes."

"Did it even come from the rehab?" Rusty asked, although he already knew the answer.

"No. It was a forgery. And the drug isn't something addicts should be taking at all," Sharon responded.

"How did she expect to get away with this?" Rusty asked rhetorically.

"I won't pretend that this isn't anything but disappointing, but, you have choices here. One is to talk to her. If you want, I could go with you and wait outside," Sharon offered.

"No. No! I do not want you there." He hesitated, realizing how that sounded. "I'm sorry. What I mean is that I would rather handle this one on my own."

Sharon replied, "I understand. It could be that confronting your mother with the truth might make her rethink what she's doing."

"The truth? I don't know if she's ever said one true thing to me in my whole life." Rusty left the condo, needing some time to sort this out in his head.

Sharon needed some help sorting this out, too, so she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Andy. He was the only one she had confided in about everything going on with Rusty's mom.

Rusty just got a call from his mom. I think he already knew, but I told him what we'd found out about the prescription.

Sharon set her phone on the table and went to refill her mug. She heard her phone vibrate while she was in the kitchen and checked it when she got back.

**Andy:** How did he take it?  
**Sharon**: He is losing his faith in her. I wish she would stop giving him a reason to do so. I'm glad he's seeing things the way they are, but I guess I just wish things were different.  
**Andy**: Me too, but we have to deal with things the way they are.  
**Sharon**: He's going to go talk to her this afternoon when she leaves rehab. I offered to wait outside, but he wants to do this alone. I'm trying to respect his wishes, but I'm scared for him about how this will go.  
**Andy**: Be available. He may not realize it, but he will need you. She will be angry when she finds out he's not helping her. She may try to manipulate him more. You are his stability. I hope all goes well and that we're worried for nothing, but if it doesn't, please call me if you need me.  
**Sharon**: Of course, thank you. I'm leaving shortly See you soon.

Sharon was grateful to know she had back-up if she needed it with Rusty. She did the whole parenting alone thing with Emily and Ricky. It wasn't easy, but Rusty's background brought challenges she had never dealt with before with her biological children. Knowing Andy and the whole division were watching out for him and had his back warmed her heart and gave her a bit of relief.


	14. Chapter 14

As they rolled the body over and Flynn saw just how young this girl was, he knew it was going to be another hard case. Every time someone young came through their murder room, he thought of own children and thanked God that nothing had happened to them, especially before he had the chance to reconnect with them.

They quickly discovered the information on this young girl's ID was false, and Andy, along with the rest of the squad, became determined to find out who this girl was. They learned she was a hard worker. They learned she had ambition (she was saving for beauty school). She learned she had been burned repeatedly with cigarettes and likely had two of teeth knocked out, which is probably what led to her running away. Their hearts broke as they poured through piles and piles of missing person photos and reports and not one matched their girl. Who was supposed to be taking care of her? They figured she had a sister who loved her, but she was probably too young to know what to do, if she was even still at home herself.

Sharon thought of her own children as well, but this case once again made her grateful they found Rusty when they did. As Rusty pointed out, this very well could have been him. He had been abused and abandoned, and his mother sure hadn't filed a missing person report on him.

She had been contemplating an idea for awhile. If something were to happen to Rusty, she was no longer considered next of kin or family. Legally, Rusty was back to having no one. She had talked with a lawyer, who had pointed out that adoptions can still occur, even when someone is no longer a minor. She had been formulating a plan with the lawyer to see what needed to occur before she even wanted to present Rusty with this option. She knew it was delicate. Rusty loved his mother, for all her faults. Sharon didn't want Rusty to think she was trying to pull him away from her or say that she was no longer important. Sharon's goal was not to replace his biological mother. She just wanted to make sure that she could always be there for Rusty the way she wanted to be, especially when Sharon Beck was unable to step up. She wanted to have a family he knew he could always count on.

"You've been awfully busy lately, Sharon," Andy said as they finally sat down for dinner for the first time in two weeks. "I don't want to be too nosey, but is everything okay?"

"Yes," Sharon replied, "I've just been trying to formulating an idea- a plan for Rusty, now that he's an adult."

Andy raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah, what's that?"

"I had already been thinking a lot about it, but this case confirms to me that Rusty needs back up in his life. I have no legal ties to him anymore now that I'm not his guardian. If he were hospitalized, or disappeared, or anything else that I'd prefer not to think about, who would he legally have to lead things? I would never stop looking or fighting for him, but I would be able to do so much more and have access to better information if we were legally related," she explained.

"So, what are you thinking?" Andy asked, still not fully sure where she was going.

"Adoption, maybe," Sharon said. It felt good to say it out loud to someone. It had been her secret up until now, but she knew she could trust Andy. "I would never push it on him. I don't want him to think I'm trying to replace his mother. I'm still working on that part of the plan. But I've been meeting with a lawyer to figure out how to make a legal connection happen so that if I decide to offer this to Rusty, there is already a plan in place."

"Sharon, wow, that's big news," Andy said.

"Well, not yet it isn't. I haven't told anyone yet. This is going to take some time, if he even accepts. The first thing I have to deal with is Jack."

"Jack? What does he have-? Oh." Andy felt stupid for his question. It was easy to forget that Jack and Sharon were still married. Obviously adding someone to the family would require his consent. Andy's immediate feeling was disappointment. He wanted this for Rusty and Sharon, but hated that it would have to be another tie holding Sharon and Jack together. Jack really just needed to be gone, in Andy's opinion.

"I'm sure you can guess how fun that is going to be. I think Emily and Ricky will be okay, but it's not really their decision. Unfortunately, I can't help that Jack will have to a part of this somehow," Sharon said regretfully. "But I need to figure all this out ahead of time so Rusty doesn't feel like he's imposing on me with this. He still feels like he's a problem for me."

"Well, if Jack gives you a hard time, you can always threaten him with legal action for all the child support he should have paid you," Andy offered, "or I could just repeatedly punch him in the face until he agrees to cooperate. That would be really therapeutic for me too."

"Andy! Stop!" Sharon looked at sternly, but couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from twitching upward at his offer. "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Who knows? Maybe for once in his life, Jack will make something easy on me."

"Yeah, right, maybe," Andy muttered, "but when he doesn't, feel free to give me a call." Sharon smiled at him, but didn't want to dignify that with a response.

A few days after Sharon told Andy about her plans for Rusty, Jack Raydor came traipsing into the murder room like he owned the place. Sharon hadn't told him Jack was coming today, but he figured it had something to do with the adoption. Andy knew this case must be affecting her as much as it was affecting him, because she was moving faster than she originally had implied she would.

Andy watched with satisfaction as Jack tried to charm his way through the murder room and was greeting with eye rolls and sarcasm. This was definitely Sharon's team. "Jack, would you mind waiting in my office? I'll be with you in a moment," Sharon told him.

"What, no hello?" he teased her.

"Hello, Jack, would you mind waiting in my office? I'll be with you in a moment," she replied back with a very calm voice that had the rest of the room laughing to themselves. She finished discussing the latest in the case. She saw Andy's face and wanted to laugh. His protectiveness was flattering, but she knew she could handle this herself and didn't want him accidentally revealing why Jack was there, so she sent him with Sykes out into the field before dealing with Jack in her office.

Andy was unusually quiet on the drive over. Sykes noticed Andy seemed pretty perturbed at Jack's appearance and wanted to ask him what was up, but decided to let him stew in peace for the time being. Andy knew Sharon could handle herself, but he also knew that Jack was a manipulative asshole and was dying to know what was going on in her office.

Fortunately for Andy, Provenza texted him once Jack had left the office. Jack just left and looked about ready to murder someone. The Captain came out and continued discussing the case like it never happened. Any idea what was about?

Andy was glad that Jack was the one who was pissed off, not Sharon. Before going up and knocking on the door of the house they were visiting, Andy fired back: How the hell would I know? Provenza wasn't buying it, but decided to let it go. At the last moment, Andy send one more quick message to Sharon: Everything okay? And hoped it wouldn't be too long before he could read her response.

Sharon read Andy's text, and while she appreciated his concern, she wasn't ready to share all the details with Andy just yet. She replied that everything was fine and left it at that. She had been very open with him about her adoption idea, and she didn't regret that. But, she had met with her lawyer again the next day after her discussion with Andy and they had discussed the details of an option Sharon wasn't quite ready to tell Andy about: Divorce. Sharon was overwhelmed by the idea, not because she was pining for her long lost marriage, but because if she divorced Jack, she lost a lot of her deniability when it came to her relationship with Andy. She had already addressed and struggled with her feelings for him. She was coping with it and settling back into a comfortable routine with him. Even though her marriage was not a real factor in their relationship, she worried that becoming officially and legally single might upset the good thing they had going. She was starting to convince herself that nothing would change, but she still couldn't bring herself to tell Andy, at least not until she knew for sure.

Her final decision ended up being to give Jack the choice, so no one could accuse her of making her decision based on anything other than what was best for Rusty. She wanted the adoption, Jack had two options to pick from…she left it up to him. Now it was time to wait and see what Jack would choose, she guessed.

Sharon went home that night and was sorting through some papers when Rusty casually dropped a bomb. He opened with, "So, Jack offered me a job today."

Sharon's mind immediately assumed the worst: that Jack told Rusty everything. That would be a nightmare. It would turn all of her carefully laid plans upside-down. Sharon tried to keep her cool but was finding it challenging, "He did?"

Rusty explained what had happened at his office and it sounded okay so far, but unfortunately Rusty didn't sound like he was finished. "He started asking me a lot of questions about you," Rusty continued.

"Oh! How so?" She asked surprised, still struggling to act nonchalant about the whole thing.

"He seemed to think you might be dating someone, which would be news to me."

Sharon nervously laughed, "Oh, me too." Surely Jack was just fishing for another reason behind the divorce. He couldn't know what she had been struggling with. She was grateful for Rusty's reply. "What else?"

"Um," Rusty started, and Sharon's heart sank. Her instincts told right then that bastard had told Rusty about their conversation. Rusty proceeded to confirm her fears, and while she did her best to do damage control and assure Rusty that this was something she was thinking about offering and why. She didn't know the details yet (other than the fact that Jack had lost his choice, and the divorce was happening). She just trying to give him a legal family to count on, to match the family he already had been accepted into with her. She told him they didn't need to decide right now, and that she still need time to work out what this would mean for everyone. Satisfied for now that she had done all she could to alleviate Rusty's concerns, she dropped the adoption papers in the shredder, packed the divorce papers in her bag, and decided to get the ball rolling as soon as she could slip away from the office tomorrow. She headed to bed to try and work through what had just happened in her own head.

Sharon was able to meet with her lawyer first thing in the morning. Her lawyer went over the paper with her one more time and let her know what she needed to complete. Sharon left the paperwork on her desk and was filling it in every spare moment she had. She got called out into the murder room and carelessly left the folder open as she dealt with a break in the case…

Later on Andy and Provenza joined Sharon for a video call with a woman who had known Alice (a.k.a. Jessie) in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, as Sharon was writing notes on the call, Provenza's eye followed her hand, and then those divorce papers she had left on his desk caught his eye. His mind immediately raced to the assumption this was a sign that things were getting more serious between Flynn and the Captain than even he had suspected. Jack needed to go, Provenza had no argument there, divorcing Jack for Flynn was a terrible plan for so many reasons, and he needed to get to the bottom of this A.S.A.P.

As they left the office together, Provenza seized the opportunity, "Flynn. Flynn!" He tried to get his attention without catching the others. "Did you see what was on the Captain's desk?"

Andy was confused by his accusatory tone, as he actually had not been paying attention to the desk, and impatiently replied, "No, what?"

"Divorce papers for her and Jack," Provenza said, and watched Andy's reaction carefully.

"No kidding. It's about time she finally sent him packing," Andy said happily. He was a little surprised that Sharon hadn't mentioned it, but figured this might have something to do with the adoption.

"Yeah? Think it may have something to do with you?" Provenza inquired, trying to provoke a stronger response out of Andy, and started walking towards the garage to head out on their assignment.

"Why would you even say something like that?" Andy asked as he caught up with Provenza. Andy didn't like where Provenza was going with this.

"The two of you have gone out to dinner. A lot," Provenza reasoned.

"Oh, c'mon, we're just friends," he shot back defensively. He wished he could tell Provenza what was really going on, but he couldn't break Sharon's trust, so he just tried to make Provenza see sense.

"I think she's going for the money!" Provenza said.

"Money?" Andy said, now more confused than defensive. "I don't even have any money…"

"I'm talking about Bug, you idiot, look!" Like Andy was supposed to know what the hell he was talking about. Andy rolled his eyes and got back to work.

The case pressed on, and Andy did have much time to dwell on Provenza's accusations or Sharon's possible big news. He just wanted to do all he could for this young woman who had ended up on their murder board.

They solved the case without discovering who she really was or what her story was. This trial was going to court and they were going to be thinking a lot about her. Andy hoped they would discover everything they were missing before that time came, and they were forced to put her case away for good. In the meantime, he called an LAPD chaplain and asked if he would be willing to lead a memorial service for her. He readily accepted and the team paid their respects the best they knew how.

Andy did a lot of thinking that night as he went home alone. Normally this would be a dinner with Sharon kind of case-ender, but she was out the door before he had a chance to offer. He was kind of glad to have the opportunity for reflection. He thought about Alice, then about his own kids. He thought about how amazing it was that Sharon had provided a home and family for Rusty, and wondered what would have happened if Alice had that opportunity.

But then, thinking about Rusty and Sharon, led to Andy thinking about just Sharon. He thought about the fact that she was filing for divorce. Andy meant what he said about him and Sharon being just friends. She reminded him the first time they went somewhere together that she was a married woman, so their outing was not a date. If she were divorced, would it change their relationship? Would their outings become dates? Would he want them to? Andy was still a bit blind to how his family had made (and were still making) the assumption that he and Sharon were together. He had let them believe it because it was helping him with Nicole and because he was too cowardly to fix the error. But now Provenza? What were they seeing that he wasn't?

Would he even want a relationship with her? It wasn't long ago that he found this woman infuriating, but now that he knew her, the things that used to make lose his temper were some of the things he respected most about her. He cared about her a lot, but did his feelings run deeper than respect and friendship? He had never seriously considered it before, maybe because it was off the table. There were obvious work related complications.

He felt like he was stronger around her. He spent a lot of his life taking the easy way out and charming his way through tough situations. Sharon wasn't afraid to call him on his crap. His passion often led to his temper getting him in trouble. She was able to calm him and keep his head level, which came in handy both professionally and with his family. He found that she was the first one he wanted to talk to these days when good thing happened with Nicole and Daniel. He found support very comforting, like today at the funeral when she purposely but gently bumped into to him to remind him she was there.

He honestly felt like she made him a better man. Plus, it didn't hurt that she was funny, smart, and beautiful.

This was a delicate situation, and for once he wasn't going to run in headfirst and muck everything up. He realized he could easily care for her as more than just friends. He thought Sharon might kill him if she ever found out he was thinking this way (or that anyone else was thinking about them like that), so for now he was going to be smart: he'd keep spending time with her and try to get a read on where she was. If he ever got a green light from her, he would talk about it, but in the meantime, he was going to enjoy the "just friends" and consider himself lucky that she was in his life.


	15. Chapter 15

Sharon couldn't really believe Rusty's lack or response to her wanting to celebrate his graduation. Surely, he knew what a huge deal this was. He had come off the streets and managed to complete high school only a semester behind where he would have if he had been in school from the start, with above average grades at that. She was proud beyond belief and wanted him to be just as excited to celebrate. She tried not to push him into things too often, but this was one thing she was having a really hard time letting slide.

She was able to keep distracted at work, however. They had caught a case involving a huge celebrity that was requiring careful planning and execution. Plus her squad had just casually mentioned that Julio had returned from medical leave and was out in the field again. She had no idea why she hadn't been informed of his return. Surely, that should have been her decision. And why hadn't anyone done anything? The man had been shot in the course of his duty, for crying out loud.

"Well, I am just surrounded by people with no sense of occasion," she declared. Andy heard her and he could tell this was about more than Julio. He followed her into her office when it was time for lunch to investigate. He was detective, after all. They decided to hit O'Malley's together for lunch.

After they ordered, Andy asked her, "Sharon, what did you mean before, that you were surrounded by people with no sense of occasion? We're sorry about Sanchez…we didn't realize it would be a big deal for you."

Sharon replied, "It's not just about Julio. Rusty is graduating. It's an amazing accomplishment. I want him to see this, and to celebrate what he's done, but he doesn't want any part of it. I just want him to step back for a moment and be proud of what he's done before rushing on to the next step."

"I'm guessing he turned down a graduation party?" Andy deduced.

"Yes. He doesn't seem to think it's necessary. He made some comments that he didn't think anyone from school would even come. I think that might a big part of it, too," Sharon continued.

"It might be. So let's figure this out," Andy said. Sharon looked at him, and it made it flutter a bit in her stomach that Andy saw this as being as important as she did. "We can fix the problem of no one coming. He's got a whole division of the LAPD who would be there in a heartbeat if asked. It may not be "cool" to have a party of police officers instead of peers, but that's not really the point. We've watched him since he was first brought to our division, and we've continued to see the young man he's grown into under your care and guidance. You, Buzz, and Provenza especially have had a hand in that, and you guys deserve to celebrate, especially," he said. Sharon smiled at him, appreciative that he understood where she was coming from.

"So the other issue was he didn't think it was necessary? I say you do it anyway, and I bet he'll get it by the time you're through with him," Andy grinned at her.

Sharon laughed, "Yeah, that was my plan. I told him to trust me, and I think he's skeptical, but going to let me do it."

"Good," Andy said. The food arrived right about that time, and they said for awhile in comfortable silence eating their lunches. Andy still had his conversation with Provenza about the divorce papers on his mind, and was trying to decide if he could bring it up without ruining their lunch. He really did want to try and see if he could get a sense of where she was in their relationship, but he wanted to be cautious. He decided to risk it, since she seemed to be in a decent mood, and hoped he could beg forgiveness later if she got mad.

"So," Andy interrupted the silence, and then hesitated. Sharon looked up from her plate and raised her eyebrows at him, inviting him to continue.

"Provenza approached me with something kinda funny the other day," he carefully started.

"Oh?" Sharon continued, intrigued by what he had to say.

Andy felt like he should play this off as casually as he could and gauge her reaction. "Yeah," he laughed, "apparently he thinks that you and I are an item." He chuckled again for good measured and waited to see how she took it.

She choked a little on her food in surprise. Was this really coming up again? According to Rusty, Jack seemed to think there was something going on too, although she was not sure who Jack had in mind as her partner. "Is that so? How did he come to that conclusion?" Sharon was too startled to play it off as coolly as Andy was. Andy didn't like that she seemed so surprised, but it was too late to turn back now. He had to see it through.

"Who knows? It's Provenza. He said something about us going out to eat a lot," Andy said, rolling his eyes, and paused again before throwing out the part he really wanted to talk about. He couldn't come up with away to say this next part casually, so he just tried to say it carefully. He looked down at his plate while he said this next part. "He might've also said something about seeing divorce papers on your desk, and wondered if that meant things were changing for us," he didn't hear her say anything, so he tacked on "I assured him we were just friends, though." He finally gathered his courage and looked up at her.

"Ah," was all Sharon could say. She felt mild disappointment in her heart at that last statement, but her head assured her that Andy's answer was the best. She gathered her thoughts for a moment, and then smiled at him. She had trusted with all of the other details of the adoption, and since the cat was out of the bag, she decided to let him in on the rest. He seemed concerned by Provenza's assumption, and she wanted to assure him that there was more to the story.

"Well, I guess I should be a little more careful what I leave on my desk, if I don't want it to turn into office gossip," she started.

"Oh, I don't think he'd spread it around," Andy said, "I think he only said something to me because he thought I already knew."

"I'm sure you're right," she said, and hoped he was. "I'm sorry you got blindsided that way. I wasn't trying to keep it from you. My lawyer presented it as an option and a few things happened very quickly that made me decide it was the only option."

Andy looked at her inquisitively, wondering what had happened with Jack in her office the other day.

"When Jack came to see me, it was because I was going to give him two options for the adoption plan for Rusty. He could sign the adoption papers or divorce papers. He was not going to get anything financially out of either deal. All he was being given was the choice. Jack being Jack, found Rusty after our meeting and started giving him the third degree." She carefully left out Jack's accusation of her being involved with someone. "After grilling him awhile about my personal life, he told Rusty, fully aware it was against my wishes, about my plan to adopt and how it meant we'd divorce and tried to guilt Rusty into stopping me."

Andy was instantly livid, "Are you kidding me? What the hell is wrong with that son of a bitch?"

Sharon felt that flutter again seeing Andy get so defensive on her and Rusty's behalf, but she knew Andy needed to calm down. She reached out and covered Andy's hand with her own. "At that moment, I knew the divorce needed to happen. I'm not going to let Jack use Rusty, like he tries to use my other children, against me."

Andy turned his hand over and squeezed Sharon's, feeling slightly guilty that she was the one with the real reason to be mad, and yet somehow, she was still calming him down. How did she stay so even tempered? He was also fighting a little disappointment that the divorce really didn't have anything to do with him. That's a lot of pressure on him, but still, wouldn't it have been nice if she wanted to free herself a little for him?

"Wow. I think that's the right call, Sharon. I still can't understand what goes through his head. For all the mistakes I made with Lisa, I would never use our kids to hurt her. Our problems are ours, not theirs." He was very relieved that if this adoption happened, it would happen without Jack. He couldn't stand the idea of him being tied to them in yet another way.

"And that's why you are a part of Nicole and Daniel's lives, and Jack is not a part of Ricky and Emily's," Sharon smiled at him. At that moment she became aware that she had absent-mindedly been rubbing her thumb in circles over Andy's hand in hers. Even though she knew she'd miss the physical connection, she realized how this would look if someone saw them, and she really didn't want these rumors of her and her lieutenant going any further than they already had, so gave his hand a quick squeeze and pulled back. "Ready to head back?" she asked?

Andy immediately missed the warmth of her hands, but knew he shouldn't react. He got some good answers to other questions, but hadn't really gotten the green light he was looking for. Not a red one either, just a cautionary yellow light, he supposed. She had enough on her plate for now, and needed his support as a friend more than she needed him to try and change their relationship when things were already changing so much with Jack and Rusty.

After lunch, Sharon finally had her opportunity to greet Julio. She gave him the hug Provenza had suggested, and Andy couldn't help but laugh at Julio's surprised reaction. He was reminded of her desire for a "sense of occasion". He knew Sharon needed this graduation party as much as Rusty did, so he called her after work to help her get started on the arrangements and see what he could do to help.

Andy stood by her side through the party and enjoyed watching everyone, Rusty included, celebrate his accomplishments. During the toast, his eyes were as much on Sharon as they were on the graduate, and he couldn't help but smile as he saw her pride beaming through her. He hoped nothing more than that this adoption would work out, but even if it didn't, she knew that Rusty was hers in her heart no matter what anyone else might say. She was amazing, and Andy could feel himself falling a little deeper.


End file.
